Hayden fourth, difficult sixth for Rossi

Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi ended the Air Asia British Grand Prix race fourth and sixth, correspondingly, with the Italian restrictive damage in a challenging weekend, while the American posted the fastest lap of the race and ended just off the podium.

With the help of his team, Nicky Hayden found a good setup for the wet race, the only restriction causing him to lose contact with the battle for the podium were the particularly unfaithful conditions of the early laps, when he came close to crashing his GP11 on a couple of occasions.

Despite starting from the last row and not being completely contented with his bike’s setup, Valentino Rossi made up several positions and rode a proscribed race, collecting ten valuable points to retain fourth place in the series standings.

Nicky Hayden:

“To be honest, I really liked my chances for a podium in the rain today; if you’d have told me before the race that I could have fourth, I’d have said, ‘No thanks, I can do better,’ but I’m not dissatisfied with my ride. I didn’t get a great start because the clutch was jumpy, and for the first few laps, it was hard to see and to get heat in the tyres. I had a big instant on the exit of Turn 1 and actually jarred my shoulder pretty good, but I tried to hang in there. I saw Colin in front of me for the podium, and I really pushed. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever had the fastest lap on a Ducati, which is kind of cool even if you don’t get points for it. Full respect to Colin a week after breaking his collarbone, but I still don’t like him beating me for the podium! Thanks to the team. It hasn’t been an easy weekend for us, but we reserved trying and got a pretty good chunk of points. We’ll take it and move on.”

Valentino Rossi:

“Without a doubt, this weekend was the most hard so far this season, but we at least managed to do a good job of limiting the damage. Considering how we came into the race, sixth place is a fairly positive result that helps us to stay not too far from the top of the standings in fourth, which isn’t bad. We knew that my lack of experience here compared to the others would hurt us, but it’s also true that we haven’t managed to get better our setup as well as we should have. In fact, today Nicky managed to have a nice race and ride well, even setting the fastest lap, which demonstrates that the Ducati is spirited in the wet. We didn’t get better enough though, and that made it hard for me, as the bike was difficult to ride and I couldn’t push hard. We’re all in charge - me, the bike, and the team - so together we’ll try to improve and return to the level we were at in Le Mans and Catalunya as soon as probable, and then take another step forward.”

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Stoner races to glory in Spain

Casey Stoner sustained to hunt down defending champion Jorge Lorenzo, claiming his third win from five starts in the MotoGP series in Barcelona on Sunday.

The Australian passed the Spaniard on the opening lap of the Catalunya GP to take the lead from Lorenzo, tapering the gap at the top of the championship standings to just seven points.

The victory adds to Stoner's wins in Qatar and France previously this year.

And it seems the power of Stoner's Honda is starting to anxiety Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who admitted post-race he didn't feel he could have beaten the Australian.

"The key was the start - I made a superior start," Lorenzo said.

"But I knew Casey could pass me in a few laps. He made it, and when he made it I tried to hang about with him for the maximum laps possible.

"This race was very vital for me to finish and keep leading the championship.

"So I think we have done our goal."

Stoner was more disturbed by forecast wet weather than his rivals, relieved that light rain on the track didn't turn into an all-out downpour before the race finish.

"I was starting to get very tense," the 25-year-old said.

"There was more rain falling in some parts, and each lap you came by there was a little bit more or a little bit less and you didn't actually know which corner it was going to be raining heavily on.

"I didn't really know what pace to run, I didn't know how bad the conditions were.

"So I pretty much coordinated myself to the people behind, and it seemed to work. But it was a high pressure race and to stay at the front was a little bit nerve-wracking.

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Rossi and Hayden inspired for Catalunya

The Ducati Team riders are keenly anticipating this weekend’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, at a circuit they both enjoy.

Both Ducati Team riders like the Catalan Grand Prix, citing both the track’s layout and the large crowds that forever heat up the Spanish races. Valentino Rossi, who did not take part in the 2010 round due to injury, has scored wins at the track in every class, collecting an inspiring nine victories and a further four podiums. Nicky Hayden also made the podium in 2006, on his way to the MotoGP title.

Valentino Rossi:

“The Catalan Grand Prix is one of the nicest of the season, for a number of reasons: Barcelona is a beautiful city, the track is really nice – almost certainly my second-favourite after Mugello – and finally, as is always the case at Spanish races, the grandstands are packed with enthusiastic fans. I’m really happy to return to the track, since I had to watch the race from my house last year. I’ve always been quite strong at the track, so I have many nice memories, the most recent of which is the 2009 win after a great clash with Lorenzo. We’re very aggravated and we’re working really hard on the bike; step-by-step, we can see that we’re making progress. We know there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we need to keep annoying to get closer to the front.”

Nicky Hayden:

“Any race in Spain is huge, and Catalunya is no exemption. It’s a good track. I made the podium there in 2006, although I haven’t gotten the results I’d like there in recent years, particularly last season. I’m looking forward to it. The two weeks off have been okay, but I like this part of the season, with back-to-back races. The next month and a half is leaving to be busy, because this is when the season really gets going. Even though our end result wasn’t a lot better in Le Mans, I absolutely think we were closer to the front. Ducati hasn’t stopped functioning over the last couple of weeks, and we’ll see at Barcelona if we can keep going on the right path.”

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Rossi’s right-hand man: Uccio

Instantly recognizable as Valentino Rossi’s friend and confidante, Alessio Salucci – otherwise known as “Uccio” in the MotoGP Paddock – discusses his connection with the nine-time World Champion in a special interview.

How did the friendship with Valentino begin?

“It’s been a long time, it’s hard to remember! Vale’s been there since my earliest memories, our parents were friends and we almost grew up together. We’re from a little village and went to the same nursery, schools… we’ve always been very close.”

What are your earliest memories of Valentino?

“I have plenty! I remember that in nursery our friends often played football, but we would go to a downhill slope we knew and ride a tricycle down it! A group of us would go, me and three friends, one of whom was Valentino. It’s a memory that is well set in my mind, even at that age we were captivating big risks – there was a big turn to the left!”

How did the passion for bikes start?

“I was born around motorbikes, I have always loved them since I was a child. I didn’t like football, I liked (Kevin) Schwantz. It’s thanks to my father. In Pesaro everybody was a fan of Graziano (Rossi, father of Valentino) and because of this two-wheeled sport was more significant than any other. I did like F1, but I chose bikes because that was the path Vale took.”

What do you do during a GP weekend?

“My main role is to drive the motorhome to the races, even if this year it isn’t a motorhome but a truck used as a home as the old motorhome became too small. Over the winter we worked a lot on this new truck and I take care of it. It’s a big job as it’s more or less like a hospitality suite. I also take care of the leathers, gloves, boots, helmet… every detail so that Valentino can think fully on racing.”

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Stoner on track again with Honda 2012 prototype

The original plan was to have a one day test with Stoner and one with Pedrosa, however, due to the outcome of proceedings from last weekend in Le Mans with Dani's injury, HRC determined to complete one more day with Casey and test rider Ito Shinichi in order to finish the intended testing program.

With windy conditions and temperatures a little cooler than on Tuesday, Stoner ran 25 laps in the morning without any issues and Shinichi took over in the afternoon. HRC engineers were happy with the data acquired.

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MOTOGP: Rossi Scores First Ducati Podium

Valentino Rossi was satisfied as he not only put the Ducati on the box for the first time, but also beat former teammate/rival Jorge Lorenzo for the position.

The French Grand Prix saw Valentino Rossi score his first podium finish aboard a Ducati, following a race that was noticeable by excitement and surprises. Nicky Hayden started from the fourth row, but higher to seventh place by the finish.

The Italian renowned his third-place finish after a weekend of hard work and constant improvement, during which he and his crew increasingly improved the bike’s setup until finding a good compromise for the race. Sixth at the end of the first lap, Rossi stayed just a few tenths from Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, who fought over fourth place until an event between Pedrosa and Simoncelli with ten laps remaining. At that point, the trio began battling over second place, and in the end, Valentino finished third, behind Dovizioso and winner Casey Stoner.

Nicky Hayden fought over sixth place with Ben Spies, and although he had to grant the position to his compatriot in the end, he was pleased with the development made over the course of the weekend.

In two days, on May 17, Valentino Rossi will be in action at Silverstone Circuit aboard a Ducati 1198, as the English track inaugurates a new paddock wing.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd

“We’re very satisfied with this podium because we’re on the right path, and especially because I had fun today. I rode the Desmosedici well, I was fast in the technical parts of the track, I felt good from start to finish and I had good lap times. This morning we made a last change to the surroundings together with Jeremy and the guys from Ducati, and it helped cut another couple of tenths. I knew I could beat Lorenzo, so that was my goal. I also passed Dovi at one point, but I got a little puzzled and made a move on the penultimate lap instead of the last one. I lost my concentration momentarily, but in short, he got me again. Anyway, it’s fine like this; I’m happy for myself, for my team, for Filippo (Preziosi), and for all the boys at Ducati. This result boosts our morale. We still have to keep working and civilizing though, because there’s more to be done. I also have to get better and keep adapting my style to the Ducati, because I’m still not riding it as I should, but in the meanwhile, we’ll enjoy today’s nice race and podium.”

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th

“We didn’t do ourselves any favors by starting 10th, but actually, we made a little step forward with the bike today. I got a polite start but was just really tight and lost some time. As the race got going, I was able to move up a bit and slowly bring back Spies and Colin. Colin edwards crashed, but once I got in front of Ben, I wasn’t really able to get down in the 34s and get away like I needed to. Seventh isn’t a great result for us, but I would say that overall, it’s almost certainly been our best weekend yet. When the track was cold, I was able to go quite fast—always in the top five in those conditions. I hoped for better in the race, but I’m looking onward to the next stretch; we’re about to really get into the season.”

Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)

“We’re pleased with this weekend because we’ve already benefited from the first changes that we’ve made according to Vale’s requests. We had a nice race, maintained a good pace and took part in a nice battle. The team worked very well on the setup, which we changed every sitting and took a step forward each time—including one in the morning warm-up. We still have work to do, because this is only the start; there’s still a gap to make up, but anyway, we’re going in a promising direction. Nicky also confirmed that his feeling with the motorcycle has enhanced, and he made good progress on the bike over the course of the weekend.”

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Barberá prepared to ride after injury

The Mapfre Aspar rider is ready for the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France following a vertebra fracture at Estoril.

Héctor Barberá heads to Le Mans with his self-assurance recovered and the news that the fracture in his vertebrae continued at Estoril has already fused. A crash on the opening lap of the Grand Prix of Portugal left the Mapfre Aspar rider in pain and not capable to ride in the test but within a week he was able to resume his personal training programme. The Le Mans circuit was the scene of one of his best results of last season - eighth place - and he is looking forward to option up on the excellent progress he had made previously this season before the Estoril crash.

Héctor Barberá:

“Le Mans is a circuit I like a lot and I tend to go well there. I had one of my best results of last season there and if I was able to do that in 2010 then I should be much enhanced this time around. After a crash on the first lap of the last race I am frantic to put it behind me this weekend, especially because I know I could have done well in Portugal so I feel like I have incomplete business. I am totally improved from the injury, I have been able to train and luckily there were no problems so I am very aggravated. The first sector at Le Mans stands out to me because it is so fast and I also like the final bend into the front straight.”

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Lorenzo fastest in morning test session at Estoril

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yahama Factory Racing) led at the midway point of the MotoGP official test session held at the Portuguese circuit, subsequent yesterday’s race. The test is split into two parts: 10.00 -13.00 and 14.00-18.00 local time. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) were second and third quickest correspondingly.

On a gloriously warm day in Estoril, Lorenzo was the first rider to emerge on track in the morning session. The reigning MotoGP World Champion’s quickest lap of the morning sitting was 1’37.170 which was 0.240s ahead of Edwards. The Spaniard was absorbed on new electronic components and working on the suspension of his factory M1 machine. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider worked on the race setting from yesterday, as did Stoner. Edwards and his team were also trying to find more grip from modifications on the chassis.

Estoril race winner Dani Pedrosa called an early halt to his test session after only carrying out a few laps. The Spaniard tried a new clutch and worked on the race setting of his factory RC212V, but was in too much pain to carry on and will now rest in the lead up to the next MotoGP race in Le Mans. Pedrosa was fifth fastest, just over half a second slower than Lorenzo’s fastest lap.

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MotoGP action back on at Estoril

After an comprehensive break in the MotoGP calendar the premier class returns to action at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal this weekend, and there is bounty to watch out for at Estoril in Round 3.

Almost four weeks after the Jerez round – the extensive break being due to the postponement of the Japanese GP until October – the MotoGP World Championship returns to action at Estoril this weekend, where the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal hosts Round 3 of the 2011 season. This will be the 14th time that there has been a Portuguese GP.

There was no lack of talking points following Round 2 in southern Spain, where defensive World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took his first win of 2011 in the wet, and was followed onto the podium by a Dani Pedrosa struggling with his recovering left arm and Nicky Hayden. Casey Stoner’s incapability to finish the race after being taken down in an incident involving Valentino Rossi, the latter of whom managed to remount his bike and finish fifth, merely added to what was a extremely eventful race at Jerez.

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Lorenzo has a frightening recent record at the Estoril track, having won for the past three consecutive seasons from pole position. The Spaniard has now finished within the top four for 22 straight races, and leads the early Championship standings by nine points in front of rival Dani Pedrosa. The Repsol Honda man arrives in Portugal hopeful that surgery right away after Jerez will have eased the discomfort caused in his left arm, and in spite of that he secured a 90th GP podium in the last round making him only the tenth rider to arrive at the milestone in the World Championship’s 63-year history. .

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Rossi and Hayden positive after Friday practices

Valentino Rossi posted the third-fastest time overall during the first day of practice in the Gran Premio bwin de España. The Italian set his quickest lap of 1’40.077 in the morning session, when situation were slightly cooler and not as windy. Nicky Hayden on the other hand, was among one of the riders who improved in the afternoon, when he finished ninth, a little less than a second off his team-mate, in the mutual results from both sessions. His fastest lap time was 1’41.058.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team)

“I’m happy because this morning I did the third-fastest time. In the afternoon when the senior temperature hurt us a little, I was fifth. Anyway, most of the riders went a bit slower in the second session. Apart from the two Hondas at the front, we’re earlier to everyone else, which was our goal. It was a good day. There’s still work to do; we’re trying to find the right balance, and that’s why we’re trying two settings that are a little dissimilar from each other as we work on weight distribution. We have to improve the feeling with the front a little, the bike that I prefer still doesn’t turn like we want it to, which means we’ll have to find a compromise flanked by the two set-ups. As for my shoulder, I don’t have much strength, but in terms of endurance, it’s a little better.”

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team)

“We’re basically riding the same bike as in Qatar. Obviously with a couple of small tweaks for this track, you need a stiffer front spring and a few other modest differences. We feel closer than we were in Losail. We made a little step forward this afternoon and it’s good because only a few riders improved in the afternoon sitting, though the wind was a lot worse. It’s the same for everybody, but the wind was really brutal today, particularly around here where you’re leaned over in a lot of long corners. We’re still almost a second off of the front riders, but at least we’re inside a second, which wasn’t the case at Round 1. We’re not over here jumping up and down with joy, but we’re positive, and we’ll keep improving. There are a few places I’m lacking, but we’re trying to just make small gains and not make too numerous big changes.”

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Rossi: We are quite worried

Valentino Rossi couldn't hide his dissatisfaction at concluding the second Sepang MotoGP test in eleventh place, almost two-seconds from the top.

After feeling 'quite confident' following Tuesday's opening day, when he was ninth (on hard tyres) and one-second from the front, Rossi was then forced to miss the whole second day due to fever.

The seven time MotoGP world champion returned today eager to try and make up for lost time - and rode for 59 laps in the very tiring Malaysian heat. But there was to be small reward.

Rossi struggled with cornering and lost a further 0.8sec relative to fastest man Casey Stoner. There are now just two more days of difficult, at Qatar, before his first race as a Ducati rider.

“The first day was not so bad, because I was previously on the lap time of the first test [earlier this month] and we were one-second from the top,” said Rossi.

“We were quite certain for day two because we had a lot of things to try, like a dissimilar setting for the rear, some swingarm link, different suspension.

“I was quite hopeful to improve our lap time, then unluckily yesterday I could not ride so we lost one day and that made things more difficult.

“Anyway today I felt okay. I made nearly 60 laps and worked a lot on the bike, but unluckily we didn't fix our problem.

“We are not fast enough in the corners. We have a problem for rotating the bike, so I always have to slow down too much to make the first-class line. I cannot ride the Desmosedici in the right way.

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Stoner getting into the groove with his new team

Repsol Honda new recruit Casey Stoner ran a stunning final lap to better Valentino Rossi’s best lap time around Sepang Circuit with a sensational time of 2:00.171 to top the timesheets in the MotoGP pre-season hard for a second successive day.

Covering 42 laps for the day, the 2007 world champion bettered Rossi’s time of 2:00.271, which the nine-time world champion recorded previous year on his Yamaha M1 during the last day of the second test meeting in Sepang.

Rossi, however, was not at the circuit to catch that sparkling run by the Australian as the Ducati Marlboro new recruit had skipped yesterday’s sitting due to sickness.

Day Two was also a day that the three-man Repsol Honda team sent a strong message of their meaning to wrest back the world crown as the Australian team-mates – Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and Italian Andrea Dovizioso took second and third spots correspondingly.

Pedrosa clocked the second fastest time of 2:00.229 while Divizioso came in at 2:00.531 around the 5.543km track.

“We had a really good day today. From the start I felt more comfortable with the bike again, like I unspoken the bike a little better,” said Stoner, who switched from Ducati to Honda this year.

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All eyes on Valentino Rossi for 2011 MotoGP period

It has been a great knowledge going from watching MotoGP on my TV on a Sunday to expenditure race days in amongst it all.

I know people get overvalued up for the new season every year but I am really eager for this movement to start. It is the last one in the 800cc group and I think it is going to be one to remember.

Of course, the big news is Valentino Rossi's move from Yamaha to the Ducati team and I stayed on after the race in Valencia to watch his first laps on board the Desmosedici at the first authorized test.

There was a lot more press reporting than usual and everyone was waiting with bated breath for the rain to ease off and for the nine-time world champion to take to the track.

There is a lot of argue about what he will do on the Ducati this year and I think it will be very difficult for him to reconstruct his sensational winning debut for Yamaha at Welkom in 2004 or the following championship crown that followed.

I certainly expect him to be winning races but, with testing and development slowed by his recovery from a shoulder injury, I think it will be a rough start to the season for "The Doctor".

But if anyone can turn it around in an instant, it is Rossi. The other riders absolutely know better than to underestimate his chances.

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Dani Pedrosa: Rossi is Rossi…

Dani Pedrosa says Valentino Rossi can never be inexpensive as a title contender, despite the somewhat unpromising start to the seven-time MotoGP world champion's career as a Ducati rider.

Rossi finished the first pre-season test of 2011 in a modest 11th position overall, while Pedrosa – jointly with Honda stablmates Casey Stoner and Marco Simoncelli – have been in the middle of the main pace setters.

Despite this, Pedrosa is refusing to get rid of Rossi from the equation of title challenger, maintaining the Italian has the aptitude to turn things around in time for the start of the new season.

“The great unknown amount will perhaps be Rossi,” he said in his latest blog. “It's his first year with Ducati and in Malaysia he wasn't amongst the fastest riders. But Rossi is Rossi, and you can not at all rely on anything. Even when he's in last place on the Saturday he still has the ability to surprise.”

Additionally, Pedrosa is wary of reigning champions Yamaha, pointing out that and Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies carry on to display the most convincing race pace.

“Right now the Honda RC212V seems to be performance well. We'll see what happens when we get to the first GP of the year, because the whole thing could change there. You never know, but at the instant everything points towards a tough World Championship.

“The Yamaha continues to have a good rhythm lap upon lap. Lorenzo, as the defending Champion, is a rival to beat, and Spies had a huge season in 2010 and will certainly be better this year.”

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Rossi and Hayden to get individual Ducati send-off ahead of Qatar

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will be given the full VIP treatment before they head off for the Qatar MotoGP 2011 curtain-raiser next month, with a special Ducati evening in Italy in face of fans and employees.

The public appearance will take place in Piazza Maggiore in the centre of Bologna on the evening of Friday 4 March, with record-breaking numerous world champion Rossi and team-mate Hayden set to be joined by the new Desmosedici GP11 in all its earth-shattering glory, and the event is being billed as a stunning send-off before the team heads overseas to Qatar.

The entire personnel of Ducati's Bologna plant has been invited to be there the evening, whilst supporters from all over the world are likewise invited to join in with the celebrations.

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Repsol Honda trio sustain solid momentum

Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso engaged three of the top four positions on the timesheet on day two of the Sepang Test.

The Repsol Honda team enjoyed another creative day of Testing at Sepang on Wednesday, as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso all finished inside the top four on the timesheet whilst accomplishing a solid amount of work on the development of their RC212V machines.

Pedrosa topped the timings with the initial and so far only lap under 2’01”, lapping at 2’00.770 on only his fourth turn of the circuit in the morning. The Spaniard spent the day trying out different chassis set-ups, the new RC212V engine and also worked on deferment with Öhlins technicians.

“I think it's the first time I've ridden so fast on this track, but you're just fresh in the morning and I did four very good first laps,” said Pedrosa, whose best attempt was just 0.252s off Valentino Rossi’s circuit best lap, set in 2009. “I was not looking for a time, but I saw that the track situation were good and I pushed. The closer you get to the limit, the clearer the changes you are doing on the bike become, which guide you in the right direction.”

He continued: “Today I tried the new engine, which has enhanced from Valencia, some chassis configurations and rear shocks. Tomorrow the plan is to carry on comparing both bikes and it would be great to come away with the chassis and engine determined for the next test."

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MotoGP teams will begin official test in Sepang Tuesday

The first official test for the year at the circuit in Sepang today sets into motion what is predictable to be one of the most exciting seasons for MotoGP fans.

The 800cc engines will roar into achievement and taking top billing will be the track debuts of Valentino Rossi for Ducati and Casey Stoner for Honda.

Nine-time world champion Rossi joined Ducati after seven seasons with Yamaha and the test sessions until Thursday will mark the Italian’s first track form generous the familiar red colours with partner Nicky Hayden.

Australian top rider Stoner will do the same after moving out of Ducati to join forces with Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Stoner won the world title with Ducati in 2007.

Attention will also be on reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain on the new Yamaha machine carrying the No. 1 racing number.

It is the first time since Wayne Rainey protected his title in 1993 for the third successive time with Yamaha that a reigning champion in the premier class is spanning the coveted No. 1 machine.

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer, Datuk Ahmad Razlan Razali, said that they looked onward to again host the world’s best riders for the first executive tests of the year.

“The new season looks set to be the most thrilling ever.

“There is Lorenzo with the new Yamaha liveries and it will be interesting to see potential strong rivals Rossi and Stoner with their new teams,” he said 

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Rossi tests fitness at Misano

The Ducati rider completed a private test at the World Championship circuit on Wednesday, ahead of the Sepang Test next week. Watch footage of the day's events in the attached exclusive video.

Valentino Rossi rode a Ducati 1198 at the Misano circuit today (Wednesday) to test his physical condition ahead of the first official MotoGP Test at Sepang, which takes place next week from February 1st-3rd.

Riding the non-MotoGP machine to comply with the Testing restrictions, the Italian took to the track at around 1pm local time in cool conditions, with a maximum air temperature of 10ºC and a peak track temperature of 15ºC.

Still reporting pain in his shoulder, Rossi was accompanied at the track by Ducati Team Manager Vittoriano Guareschi and two of his crew engineers Matteo Flamigni and Gabriele Conti as he took the latest step in his continuing recovery from shoulder surgery which he underwent last November.

“First of all, thanks to Filippo (Preziosi) and to Ducati, who organised this test,” said Rossi. “Misano Circuit let us use the track on a day when Mattia (Pasini) was planning to ride in order to confirm his own condition. The track more or less confirmed what we expected: the shoulder is painful, especially under braking, when the front area hurts, where they stitched the tendon. Movement is stable enough, and we’re also doing not so bad with endurance, but apart from that, it hurts a lot and isn’t very strong. Let’s hope it gets a little better in these next few days before the test in Malaysia.”

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Rossi’s press conference from Ducati’s Wrooom 2011 appearance in full

Valentino Rossi gave his first press conference as a Ducati rider through Wrooom 2011, held last week at Madonna di Campiglio. Here you be capable of watching the full video of the Italian star’s reflections.

Wearing Ducati colours for the first time and amid the prospect of the international press and the fans, Valentino Rossi gave a press conference at Wrooom 2011 in which he offered his opinions and prospect for 2011, the campaign which sees his debut at the controls of the Ducati Desmosedici GP11. In the fond of video you can see the complete interview with the Italian.

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MOTOGP: Rossi Tears Down The Wall

Walls in-between MotoGP pits have become commonplace in recent years and even teammates that get along, such as last year's Tech3 combination of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, have preferred the divider. Spies has stated he felt it helped his guys cut down on the disorder in the garage.

“Good fences make good neighbors,” wrote Robert Frost a long time ago. And there’s amazing to it.

But as he so often does, Valentino Rossi astonished MotoGP observers by saying he wants to buck the trend this year. Rossi’s recent comments at the Ducati team statement in the Dolomite Mountains echoed Ronald Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech.

Rossi said he wants no wall and for the two riders to share data and to assist fully in Ducati’s 2011 assault. While Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner had very different setup preferences for the paddock’s most sole handling machine, Rossi and Nick are closer.

Teammate Hayden raced next to Rossi at Honda years ago and there is a level of admiration between the two riders that allowed them to coexist then and now.

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