Valentino Rossi Ducati – MotoGP 2012

Nicky Hayden seventh and Valentino Rossi eighth at the end of the German round

Pramac Ducati’s Loris Capirossi aborted his return to action after morning practice and was replaced by Sylvain Guintoli.

1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda 41m 12.482s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 41m 13.959s
3. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda 41m 14.050s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda 41m 22.995s
5. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 41m 23.201s
6. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 41m 23.405s
7. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki 41m 39.933s
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro 41m 39.992s
9. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Marlboro 41m 40.058s
10. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41m 45.973s
11. Hector Barbera ESP Mapfre Aspar 41m 51.426s
12. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 41m 51.630s
13. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing 41m 51.897s
14. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41m 51.959s
15. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 42m 6.998s
16. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda 42m 24.817s
17. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Pramac Racing 41m 28.441s

The second and final day of testing at Valencia took place in sunny conditions, allowing both Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden to make full use of the available track time. Rossi worked closely together with Filippo Preziosi on the setting of the GP11 machine with the big bang engine configuration, completing 70 laps. His detailed feedback and the data gathered over the past two days will help the Ducati engineers develop the GP11 and adapt it more to the riding style of the nine-time World Champion.

Nicky Hayden spent a lot of time out on track today, completing 91 laps throughout the session and testing both the screamer and big bang versions of the engine, setting his best time on the latter version and ending up sixth fastest overall. The American was able to improve his pace from the weekend and was satisfied with the job done.

NICKY HAYDEN (Ducati MotoGP Team)  6th fastest – 1:32’583
“That’s it – the season is finally over! Today was a positive day for us. We tried the screamer and it wasn’t easy to switch between engines but it was important to do a proper test on them both and get the data we need to make an important decision. I am leaning towards sticking with the big bang but we will make the decision together. In general I am happy because we have been pretty quick. We know there is a lot of work to do but we are ready to get on with it. We tried a new Bridgestone, which I liked a lot and actually I did my fastest time on it. I also went well on the race tyre we used on Sunday and we were just a couple of tenths off my best. We tested some other things that I liked but we need to test them more. I want to thank everybody in the team because they did a great job as always even though it wasn’t easy, coming on the back of two races.”

FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Direttore Generale Ducati Corse
“After these two days of tests we will go back to Ducati for a meeting, where we will decide which path to take between the two engines, the big bang and the screamer, although the information we have is pointing towards the former. It will be a decision we will make by analysing the data in depth as well as planning the way forward around all the other things we learnt at the test. The objective is clearly to allow Valentino to ride  like Valentino! We know we have to improve the bike in order to achieve this, especially the front end. He has given us some very precise information and now it is down to us to use it. We would obviously have liked to give him the opportunity to go faster today but even though that wasn’t the case he has impressed everybody over the last two days with the way he works, his calm approach and his positive attitude towards everything. Nicky also worked very hard, as usual, and set a good lap time on the new Bridgestones as well as the ones we were already using, which is another big positive. Now we have to work to give them both a more competitive bike for the next test.”

Unofficial lap times 10th November 2010

1.Casey Stoner  1:32.066
2.Jorge Lorenzo 1:32.179
3.Ben Spies   1:32.322
4.Marco Simoncelli  1:32.450
5.Dani Pedrosa  1:32.497
6.Nicky Hayden  1:32.583
7.Alvaro Bautista  1:32.738
8.Randy De Puniet   1:32.836
9.Andrea Dovizioso  1:32.942
10.Hiroshi Aoyama  1:33.105
11.Hector Barbera   1:33.168
12.Colin Edwards  1:33.325
13.Cal Crutchlow  1:33.483
14.Loris Capirossi  1:33.740
15.Valentino Rossi  1:33.761
16.Karel Abraham  1:33.793
17.Toni Elias  1:34.800

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1’32.582 – 155.732 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha – 2006), 1’31.002 – 158.436 Km

Valentino Rossi had indicated that he has been given permission by Yamaha’s Executive Officer for Engineering Operations, Masao Furusawa, to test with Ducati in Valencia next month.

The question of whether the 31 year-old would be allowed by Yamaha to ride the Desmosedici for the team with which he has signed for the 2011 season remained a matter of great interest amongst the media, and in an interview with Italian MotoGP broadcaster Italia 1 Rossi said he had finally received clearance from Furusawa after speaking with him on Saturday evening.

“Furusawa called me and told me it was a way of saying thanks for what I have done for Yamaha,” Rossi told Italia 1. “I think it’s a nice gesture and it shows that Yamaha has valued the things done over these years.”

Upon hearing the news MotoGP Project Manager for Ducati Alessandro Cicognani told motogp.com in an interview: “I haven’t heard what Rossi or Yamaha have said exactly, but I was told about this so I am really happy. I think in a way it’s like a present from Yamaha to Valentino after what he has done for them.”

“We can be happy with this and I would like to thank, in a way, Yamaha. I have good relations with Lin Jarvis and I take this chance to thank him because he has always been fair and open to discussion. It’s not easy and it’s great. So we will work now and finish the season, and then start again for 2011 just after the Valencia race.”

Cicognani continued: “I think for everybody that this test is important because, due to the testing restrictions, I think it’s fair that every rider has the chance to test the bike he is going to ride the following year. So for everybody it would be important. He will test the 2011 bike for sure, and we will see. We are working on it!”

The news came after Rossi finished third in the Iveco Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, having risen from eighth on the starting grid to make a last-lap overtake on Nicky Hayden and secure his eighth podium of the season.

“To start eighth and finish third is not a bad result and, considering the trouble we had this weekend, we can be happy,” said Rossi of his race. “Today Casey was riding in a different sport and I want to say congratulations to him. The podium was the maximum for us but it was still a hard fight to get there.”

“I had great fun with Nicky at the end because in some places he was faster than me and I really had to push, but the podium here is so important for me and I couldn’t give it up easily. We have had three podiums in a row, including one win, and after this difficult season I am happy about this. Today we won the Team title and I am happy for us all and for Yamaha.”

Ducati is rumoured to be considering making an aggressive bid to secure the services of Valentino Rossi as early as next season, particularly if Casey Stoner proves to be Honda-bound.

According to Spanish publication Motocuatro.com, Ducati’s difficult start to the 2010 season, which has so far seen it fail to get on the podium, is prompting some radical movements from within the company in an attempt to get back on top.

Even so, Rossi, who is expected to be out of action for two months as he begins recovery from his broken leg, has previously stated his intentions to stay with Yamaha and he revealed as recently as yesterday [Thursday] that he does have a bike for next season.

“I know I have a bike for next year and I don’t need to rush my return to demonstrate anything.”

Rumours linking Rossi to Ducati are nothing new, with the Italian proving coy when commenting on the speculation towards the end of the 2009 season, stating at the time:

“I haven’t decided yet about my future, I will decide in the next year (2010). I have a contract signed already with Yamaha for 2010. For sure it is a great dream for everybody, to see Valentino with Ducati. We will see, I don’t know’.

Several months on and Ducati is reportedly stepping up its efforts to get the record-breaking rider onto its bike by waving a ‘blank cheque’ in a bid to poach him from Yamaha.

The move for Rossi could come as a response to Stoner’s heavily speculated switch to Honda in 2011, the Australian seemingly looking elsewhere as an attempt to rediscover the form that has waned in 2010 so far.