How's this for a company picnic? Ducati Corse employees were invited to Mugello to observe otherwise closed testing of the firms two new race machines, including the track debut of the 999, successor to the current Superbike.

"Our company is working extremely hard in this period," said Ducati Corse Managing Director Claudio Domenicali in a press release. "To face up to these commitments, Ducati Corse has recently grown in size and we now have around 100 people all working with the same passionate aim. For this reason we thought that it would be a good idea to invite everyone to Mugello to see our 'creations' in action before the summer holiday break."

The employees saw the track debut of the new 999, the successor to the legedary 916 platform that has been Ducati's Superbike since 1994. The new machine has a different frame, a dual-sided swingarm, new bodywork, revised exhaust, and an uprated version of the Testatretta engine that has dominated WSC this season.

"The new 999 is great!" said current Ducati DFX and former Graves Motorsports racer Steve Martin, the Australian rider chosen to test the machine. "Even though it is making its track debut, the bike already looks and feels very promising. It is more aerodynamic and handles better than the 998. Compared with the 998 RS 'client' bike I race with, the latest version of the Testastretta engine has got a lot more torque as well as the same superb driveability".

Also on hand at Mugello was the so-called "lab bike" used to test components of the forthcoming Desmosedici Moto GP machine.

"The prototype we are using is going well", said official test rider Vittoriano Guareschi. "Although the power we have available is currently similar to the twin-cylinder SBK version, the new bodywork is very aerodynamic and it allows us to reach a much higher top speed. We are carrying out several tests with bodywork vents to check the bike's different reactions to side winds and to see what turn-in in curves is like."

Photos: Thanks to Ducati Corse Photographic Archive.