Ducati launch Desmosedici GP7.

Ducati officially launched its 2007 MotoGP title contender, the Desmosedici GP7, amidst the spectacular mountain scenery of Madonna di Campiglio, in Italy on Wednesday.

The wraps were pulled off the bike with which Ducati hopes to step from race to world championship winner by Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner, the two Ducati Marlboro Team factory riders who will spearhead the Italian manufacturer's attack in the first year of the new 800cc category.

Among the most visible changes for the GP7 is a new, exclusive, colour scheme called 'Red Racing Chrome', produced with a special paint to highlight the lines and the design of the new machine through an innovative chrome effect.

Marlboro is now the last remaining tobacco team sponsor in MotoGP, excluding Rizla rolling paper, but the word 'Marlboro' wasn't to be found on either bike nor team livery at the launch, with revised logos instead present.

Naturally the new livery and colour is not the only innovation - the 800cc engine is also completely new. Smaller and narrower than the 990cc unit, the new engine is characterised by a conventional (even) firing-order - instead of the 'big bang' designs used in the latter years of the 990cc era - that benefits maximum power and helps fuel consumption.

The concept of the engine as a load-bearing structure, with a shorter chassis and the sub-frame mounted directly onto the engine rather than the frame, has also been optimised, thus allowing a strengthening of the entire foot-peg area. Major attention has also been dedicated to a lightening and further refining of all components.

"I am proud to present the new Desmosedici GP7, a project that currently represents the peak of Ducati know-how," declared Ducati Corse managing director and Ducati Motor Holding director general of product Claudio Domenicali. "The bike features a mixture of technology and evolution and has already given us excellent results on the track in the first tests. In particular we are particularly proud of the opportunity that the project offers to transfer experience accumulated in racing to our road-going products.

"I am really happy to be here today with Loris. We began this challenge together and, five years later, we are still here, ready to tackle a new season in MotoGP with a project that has grown, matured and improved over the years and which is destined to give us great satisfaction. I am just as pleased to welcome Casey: together with Loris they form a fantastic pairing.

"All this would not be possible without the aid of our sponsors. A big thanks to all those who have given us their support for many years and a warm welcome to SanDisk, a world leader in the production of flash memory cards and portable multimedia accessories, who today have officially announced their partnership agreement with us."

Capirossi and Ducati won three races last season on the way to third in the riders' championship.

The Ducati Marlboro Team will leave Madonna di Campiglio on Friday morning for Malaysia, where it will join its rivals for the first test of 2007, at Sepang, from January 22-24.