ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, runner up in this year's 250cc world championship and the latest signing for newly found MotoGP team JiR Scot, spent yesterday testing the 2007 Honda RC212V four-stroke and Michelin tyres for the first time.
The experience is a world apart from the 250cc two-stroke Dunlop-shod machine that Dovizioso's been riding last season.
Dovizioso said of his first test session:
"Riding the 800 today was really good fun for me. The power is good but there's not too much like the older 990cc bike, which I tried back in 2004. People ask about the difference between the 250 and the 800. The biggest thing is the completely different the way the power comes in: with the 250 the power is high in the rev-range, with the 800 there is power everywhere. Also electronics make a big difference. On every corner I can open fully the throttle and traction control handles it " even on a bike with more than 100bhp more than my 250! If I did that on a 250 I would go flying in the air and it would hurt! I think that the electronics can be both good and bad, as sometimes I would like a bike that I could powerslide and perhaps one that would be a little more difficult to ride. Today the important thing was to feel comfortable on the bike so we didn't make any changes to the standard bike. Maybe tomorrow we will see if we start to change things. This is the start of a new adventure for me and I'm looking forward to the challenge of taking on the World's best riders in MotoGP next year."
Dovizioso's tipped as one to watch in MotoGP next season.
