Ducati presented the new Desmosedici MotoGP bike and riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo at the factory auditorium in Borgo Panigale.

"Ducati today is in a very strong position,” said CEO Claudio Domenicali. “2016 was the seventh successive year of growth, and this has enabled us to reach a new sales record with 55,400 bikes delivered to our clients all over the world. We are very satisfied with the progress made in the three years since his arrival of Gigi Dall'Igna, because the bike has gone from being one that was way behind the leaders to one that won two races last year.”

(Below is the 40-minute 2017 MotoGP Team launch video. The first few minutes are dead air so be patient, it's not busted - Ed.)

General Manger Luigi Dall'Igna added, “After a 2016 season that concluded positively, now we are ready for this new season. We have improved the organization and for the first time we were able to get the new bike ready for the Valencia test. We have planned a series of development activities that we will begin next week with our two collaborators Michele Pirro and Casey Stoner, then this will continue in the following tests with our factory riders, and only in Qatar will we see the true 2017 bike. We know that our rivals will be very aggressive, but we have Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso on board and this gives us the necessary confidence for the job that we are facing. It won't be easy to win against our rivals and we won't be starting as favorites, but we will try and give our everything to obtain the results that our fans are expecting."

Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team

"The impression I got as soon as I came into Ducati was that all the employees are really enthusiastic about their job,” Lorenzo said, “and they feel a strong sense of pride about belonging to this historic and prestigious company. We are all impatient about the start of this new adventure and even though we still cannot promise anything, we have the potential to create a competitive bike and aim for the results that we all want to achieve.”

Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team

"This is my fifth season in Ducati and I expect a lot from 2017,” said Andrea Dovizioso. “After four years spent working hard, now we have become really competitive, and our aim can only be to fight for the championship. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Jorge into the Ducati family and I am certain that we be able to work well together." In a few days, the Ducati Team will leave for Malaysia, where the first session of preseason testing will take place at Sepang from 30th January to 1st February.

For complete coverage of the 2017 MotoGP season, visit Motorsports.com/motogp.

Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team
Ducati Presents 2017 MotoGP Team

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