MotoGP: Ducati won't roll out 2007 motorcycle

Ducati bosses have denied they are considering rolling out last year’s world championship-winning factory GP7 machine to help Casey Stoner understand some of his early season problems.

The Aussie kicked off the defence of his world crown in superb style when he won the season’s opening race in Qatar. But in the last two races he’s struggled with set-up on the slightly modified GP8 machine, complaining a lot about a lack of front-end feel.

He was 11th in Jerez and sixth in the last race in Estoril, and while Honda and Suzuki have already rolled out 2007 parts to try and help find a development direction for 2008, but it is not a policy that Ducati will pursue.

Team boss Livio Suppo said: “It makes no sense.  We don’t have to panic. Casey has been very fast in the winter.

“In this moment the most important thing is not to lose our mind. We were not geniuses last year and we are not idiots now.”