Ducati WorldSBK team bring in Michele Pirro to help with Panigale V4 R development

After a strong opening round which saw Nicolo Bulega win on his WorldSBK debut and Alvaro Bautista finish second in Race 2, preparations' for the Catlaunya round continue with a two-day test.

With the action already underway, Bautista and Bulega have been joined by Pirro as he looks to improve power delivery and the character of the engine with fuel control. 

• Alex Lowes: ‘I didn’t deserve the chance to go to MotoGP’ 
• Jonathan Rea and WorldSBK rivals set for two-day test this week

Speaking about the test plans, Ducati Corse Technical Director Marco Zambenedetti said: “First of all, we are here to prepare for the round weekend as that’s always important.

“Fortunately, Barcelona seems to have good weather and is quite a complex and complete track; this gives us the possibility to set up the bike and test something new.

“Many of the things aren’t visible because they’re more about power delivery and the character of the engine with the new fuel control.

“There is also the test team that will help us improve the bike with Michele Pirro, who, especially in these areas, can get the best from his experience in MotoGP.”

Reflecting on the opening round of the season in Phillip Island, Zambendetti was very impressed by Bulega who became the first WorldSSP champion to win on his premier class debut.

“About Australia, let me say I was positively impressed about Nicolo’s performance,” added the Italian. “We start to know him and his talent, but I’m impressed at the time it took for him to get to the top with this new bike. He adapted very quickly.

“Australia is always a friendly track for Ducati, and, in this case, it seems very good for Nicolo. Alvaro was struggling a bit as he tried to recover his confidence with the bike and find a new bike balance with the ballast that has been fixed on his bike.

“We’re still working on that area to give him the best package possible. I hope being in Barcelona, with all the references he has in his career, will help him and us to understand what the better setup with the ballast is.

“I’m pretty sure we will make an improvement with respect to Australia, and I hope we will be in the same position as last year.”