MOTOGP: Ducati launches 2016 bike

Ducati has officially launched its 2016 MotoGP challenger, the Desmosedici GP. The bike has run during the first two pre-season tests with race riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone without a livery, which was unveiled at Ducati's base in Bologna on Tuesday. The pair had a low-key Phillip Island test, but are content with what they learned during the three days.

Ducati's MotoGP boss Gigi Dall'Igna describes the 2016 Desmosedici as an "evolution" of its recent challengers.

"It's an incredible step forward," he said. "Last year we used a bike that basically we hadn't had the time to test [pre-season], we were optimistic but had some little doubts, but things went well.

"This year we have total peace of mind, we have used and tested the bike in the two official tests. In the first test [at Sepang] we had some little mechanical set-up issues that we solved in the second test."

Ducati starts the new season having not won a race since Casey Stoner's last victory for the team in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix. Dall'Igna said Ducati's focus this year was on ending that winless run.

"The key target this year will be to be protagonists and leaders in every single race," he said. "We want to fight for the head positions and get some victories, we want to win. This is important for us. We need to win and we will strive for this target."

Ducati also announced it was moving away from having a year attached to the end of each new Desmosedici GP's name, in part to follow the lead of other manufacturers with a common model identity, but also to help the status of satellite teams with older models.

Stoner has rejoined the Italian marque as a test rider and ambassador, and having ridden the GP15 in the Sepang test, watched on at Phillip Island last week. The Australian did not attend Tuesday's launch.

Originally on Autosport.com