At the end of the first day I had found something that I was happy with and was getting pretty comfortable. Casey had helped me out in a few areas and had also been around the track to watch. I tried to work on standing up the bike as much as possible which more than anything else was an adjustment to my style. I did just over 60 laps on the first day, which around Mugello is a decent number because it is a pretty physical track. I was also proud at having joined the 200+ mph club!
On day two we made even more progress right from the word go. Again I was working on my style and working on the bike finishing the corner better, which made it easier to get a faster exit and also stand the bike up more. My mechanics were all very switched on and their full time test team with Vitto Guareschi is a serious affair!
There were five guys sat at computers and Vitto is in and out of the box all of the time. The main man behind the Desmosedici’s design, Filippo Preziosi, was there and you can just see how into it he is. He was either at the computer or talking to Vitto, all day. I had three mechanics. Of which my chief was one of the co-designers in Ducati and is also the chief mechanic for Alex Barros. I also had an American guy call Mark Elder who is a mechanic for Capirossi and the other mechanic is normally a full time mechanic for Vitto on the test team.
In the afternoon I felt like we had gotten to the best setup yet and I was still learning all the time about riding the bike. After lunch I had to be a bit careful of how many more laps I could do because the motor I was using was coming to the end of it’s lifespan before having to be rebuilt. I had something to try, which was shortening the wheelbase to try and further improve turning.
On my out lap I caught the only really vicious bump on the Mugello circuit and must’ve just caught it in exactly the wrong place because I was on the floor before I knew it. I was a bit off line over the bump, maybe on a slightly dirty patch of tarmac, and the rear just stepped sideways catching me out.
