The Ducati Marlboro Team is ready to tackle a new season in the MotoGP World Championship and sets out to defend the Rider, Constructor and Team titles won in 2007.

The challenging task of competing in the MotoGP World Championship for the 2008 season falls to the current MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner and the former 250cc World Champion Marco Melandri: two top riders who will compete in what the Ducati Marlboro Team envisage to be one of the most hard-fought seasons to date. Passionate, fast and tenacious, in the true spirit of Ducati, both riders contribute in their own way to making the Italian team true protagonists in the world of racing.

The Desmosedici GP8 is an evolution of the 2007 model. The Ducati engineers worked on all areas. In terms of chassis set-up, the new frame is lighter with optimised torsional and flexural rigidity and the rear suspension geometry is also different. As for the engine, they worked on two areas. First of all, performance: they introduced a number of modifications to minimise friction and obtain a small power increase without affecting fuel consumption. Secondly, they worked on driveability, in other words, engine response proportional to the rider's torque requirements. This was done in order to obtain a 'fuller' engine response especially mid-range and to maintain peak power for longer.

Finally, with regards to electronics, modifications have been introduced regarding a few sensors and actuator details to increase reliability and, consequently, safety. One of the main reasons for Ducati's participation in racing is to develop technology to be transferred to production bikes, improving safety and making them even more fun to ride. Electronics play an important role in all of this. An example of this is the new 1098 R, which is equipped with exactly the same traction control system used in Ducati racing bikes, making it the first bike in the world to feature a system able to combine safety with high performance.

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