From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

THREE DAYS OF TESTING FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM AT VALENCIA

Valencia (Spain), 10 December 2003 – The Ducati Marlboro Team continued development work on the first day of a three-day test session at the Valencia circuit in Spain today.

After thrilling the Bologna Motorshow crowd over the weekend, Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss got down to testing duties today with the 2004 version of the Desmosedici. Three Desmosedici machines were brought to Valencia for the tests, with Loris and Troy joined for the occasion by official test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi, who will be trying out components for next year’s bikes.

Today was characterized by variable weather, with cold and damp conditions in the morning meaning that the Ducati riders could only put in a few laps. The weather improved in the afternoon with temperatures reaching 13° C air / 15° C track. At the end of the day Capirossi ran 20 laps, recording a best time of 1:34.8, while Bayliss completed 28, with his best being 1:34.2. Guareschi completed a total of 18 laps with the ‘laboratory’ Desmosedici.

Testing will continue tomorrow and Friday when hopefully the weather will improve enough to enable the team to complete the work schedule.