Aruba Ducati’s Marco Melandri believes he has found a cure for the high-speed instability that has dogged him from the first WorldSBK round at Phillip Island.
The little Italian’s Panigale has been wobbling and weaving on long straights and, until the two-day test at Brno, no solutions had been found.
Melandri’s situation has occurred because he likes a very quick-steering bike which will always lead to a measure instability. The best guess is Ducati have persuaded him to make some sacrifices in that area in order to stop the bucking thing.
Ducati installed a new swingarm that Shane Byrne has been testing this year to find more rear edge grip which may also have helped.
“It was a really important test. The goal, more even than to prepare the race here, was to improve stability on the straight. We took a decisive turn and the situation has improved significantly,” said Melandri.
“We ran several back-to-back checks to better understand the nature of the problem, and I think we achieved our goal. Perhaps not 100 percent, but we took a big step forward. Now we head to Imola: I’m confident and sure I’ll be able to fight, with even more determination.”