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‘With wings, we could win at Qatar’ says Lorenzo

Ducati new boy Jorge Lorenzo departed the Phillip Island with much more confidence in the Desmosedici GP17 he will campaign in this year’s MotoGP championship. His adaptation to the Bologna bike  is still not finishedvbut it’s the first time the multiple world champion has talked about winning as a Ducati rider and says it could come much sooner if aerodynamic wings were still allowed.

We sat down with the Mallorcan star and got the full jiffy:

What is the balance of these three days of testing?
“Compared to Sepang, we did a step forward. In Malaysia, lap times came easier for us while here we struggled more due to the characteristics of the track. A wind is a factor, but also the type of corners and the fact that we can open full throttle only in a few points due to the small straights. All in all we did a good work. We put the soft tyre only in the afternoon when it was very windy and not earlier, when the conditions were ideal. Maybe we could have been  three  tenths faster but this was not the priority”.

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How do you feel with the bike?
“I feel better, but we are still working to make a more complete bike, because we are still not competitive on every track.  Now we know what we have to do on the bike.”

Are you ready to win a GP?
“If we had the wings and Yamaha and Honda hadn’t make a step forward, we could win already in Qatar. Anyway we still have an important test in Qatar before the opening round. On Friday I will be able to tell you if I can win in Qatar.”

Andrea Dovizioso stressed the GP17's weak point is still mid-corner speed. Something you cannot improve with the setup. Despite that he was quite satisfied with his laptime…
“Compared to last year we are more competitive and we be fast when we want. This is important but we haven’t still succeeded to be competitive in every track more in terms of race pace.”  

What is missing?
“We need to make the bike turn faster in the middle of the corner.  At the circuits we can work on the setup, but many factors are involved and the setup is just one. On this track the limit is more evident because we stay longer on the angle.”     

You seem in your best moment ever...
“I feel very well and I can push when I want and this makes me even more confident and competitive. I feel I am a more complete rider compared to last year but I’m focusing now in the race perspective. Our target this year is to win the title.”

You seem the reference in Ducati in this moment…
“We are a team. Jorge Lorenzo is a multiple champion and the jump he made from Yamaha to Ducati is big, also considering that so far he has ridden the same machine in his entire Motogp career.”

Maverick Vinales counted Ducati among the favourite for the Qatar race…
“In the past we have always been very competitive al Losail  and this year we arrive much stronger so I think we can do well, but for sure Marc Marquez and Maverick Vinales set very impressive laptimes and look really strong this year.”

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