In addition they also confirm the validity of the World Superbike Championship and its particular formula for production-based bikes that combine top-level performance with technological development.

Ben Bostrom and Troy Bayliss today lapped within a whisker of the best time ever achieved at the Valencia track, recorded earlier this year by Kenny Roberts Jr. on a 500cc GP bike (1m35.133s). 

Today's times set by the Ducati Corse riders are a confirmation of the extraordinary development work carried out on the Borgo Panigale bike and the efficiency of the new 'testastretta' engine.

All eyes are now focussed on the 2001 Superbike season, when the Italian manufacturer will be lining up with three factory bikes, demonstrating the strategic importance this championship has for Ducati.  The championship's successful formula allows Ducati to 'transfer' to the end user (consumers who buy road bikes) all the know-how it has accumulated during racing competition.

Today's weather conditions, warm and sunny, allowed Ducati's scheduled workload for the final test of the year to be completed. Early in the afternoon Bayliss and Bostrom improved their lap times, getting under the record time set on Sunday by Neil Hodgson (Ducati 996 GSE). The day then came to an end with a final rush by Bayliss, who ended up with a time of 1m35.28s, while Bostrom set a time of 1m35.33s on race tyres.

"I'm really pleased with this final test session of the year", commented Troy Bayliss after two days of hard work. "All the new tyres we tested proved to be very interesting. We even had time to go for a quick lap time and I easily set my fastest time of the day. We are now going to the winter tests in South Africa at the start of the year, where we will be up against all the other teams in the 2001 WSBK championship."

"I would love to have continued until the sun went down", said Ben Bostrom. "Today it was fantastic at the Valencia circuit. The slightly cloudy sky allowed us to test until quite late in the afternoon. I tried out some excellent tyres and worked on the final set-up of my 996 Factory. The two days have been very intense but riding a bike is never hard work … it's just a great pleasure."