Davies tests Ducati GP17 at Mugello
Chaz Davies saw Ducati keep its promise by giving him a run on its GP17 machine on its test day at Mugello after the Welsh rider secured a dominant double victory at the Imola World Superbike round.
The 30-year-old produced a flawless race weekend at his Aruba.it Racing Ducati's home round with pole position, two race wins and fastest laps in both races which has seen him rewarded with a trial on the 2017 Ducati MotoGP machine at the Italian manufacturer's private one-day test at Mugello.
Ducati hasn't released any information on how Davies' test run went on the GP17 but did reveal images of the rider beaming alongside the bike. Davies has said he would like to switch into MotoGP in the near future, with a potential move to Pramac rumoured, but has reiterated his goal of claiming the World Superbike title before moving to the Grand Prix series.
Aruba.it Racing Ducati saw Marco Melandri complete the one-day test on the Panigale R at Mugello to assess chassis and electronic upgrades, with the Italian completing 105 laps.
"It's been an intense and productive day," Melandri said. "We worked a lot on the bike's geometries. In particular, we focused on two areas: the stability under acceleration while upshifting and the front-end feedback in corner entry. Until one hour to go, I wasn't particularly satisfied, then we found positive sensations in the last few runs.
"I'd have liked to try some more modifications to the electronics, but it's okay. We gathered important indications to improve our performance in the upcoming races."
Davies and Melandri will now head to Donington Park for the British round of the 2017 World Superbike championship on the 26-28 May.
