From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

XAUS TESTS THE GP4 FOR DUCATI

Rubén Xaus makes a testing day in the Mugello Circuit for Ducati Corse, in order to help in the development of the Desmosedici.

It is a great pleasure for the d’Antin MotoGP Team to offer the collaboration of its riders and to contribute in the development work and the evolution along with the factory. Although on this occasion, Neil Hodgson is not going take part because he is not yet completely recovered from the lesions he suffered after his fall during the Grand Prix of France. It is better to preserve him and provide time to get the better conditions for the next Catalunyan Grand Prix.

Luis d’Antin agreed to the request of Rubén’s stay in Italy to make some tests after the Grand Prix: “We have no troubles about giving our rider to collaborate with Ducati Corse because we defend the same interests and we are first of all interested in improving the development. I hope that our help will be useful in this way and I am convinced that for Rubén it is going to be very helpful”.

On the other hand, Rubén Xaus has shown his disposal to stay in Italy providing his collaboration: “It is very important for me to make kilometres and to keep working in my adaptation to the category. I have been a long time collaborating with Ducati and I am sure that these tests will be useful for all of us”.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE BACK ON TRACK AT MUGELLO

Bologna (Italy), Monday 7 June 2004 – The Ducati Marlboro Team is to remain at the Mugello circuit tomorrow to continue development work of the Desmosedici GP4. A further day’s testing has been scheduled for Tuesday 8 June at the Italian track and it will involve the Ducati Corse Development Team, which will also stay behind at Mugello on Wednesday with Vittoriano Guareschi.

Following back-to-back tests at Le Mans and over the Mugello race weekend, Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss have opted to race the GP4 for the remaining GPs of this hard-fought season. Development work on the latest version of the Desmosedici is continuing therefore and as a result four riders will be present tomorrow at Mugello.

Test-rider Vittoriano Guareschi will make the track debut of the latest version of the ‘Twin Pulse’ engine, which will be used by the Ducati Marlboro Team riders on the Monday after the Catalan GP at Barcelona if it proves to give positive results.

Loris and Troy will concentrate on chassis development work of their GP4 machines at the Tuscany track, the venue for last Sunday’s Italian GP. This work can be better carried out in a day of private testing rather than the four hours of free practice and qualifying of a race weekend.

The fourth rider present at Mugello aboard a development team GP4 will be Spain’s Ruben Xaus, who will carry out similar tests to Loris and Troy, allowing Ducati Corse engineers to accumulate the maximum amount of data and information possible in one day.

“Everyone in Ducati Corse is focussed on continuing the development work of the GP4 and allowing Loris and Troy to become front-runners in the next few races” declared Ducati Marlboro Team director, Livio Suppo. “We would like to thank Ruben Xaus for making himself available for the test. We asked him to take part tomorrow so that we can accumulate the maximum amount of data possible. Thanks also to Luis D’Antin for enthusiastically agreeing to allow his rider to take part in this test.”