Valentino Rossi 2010

It will come as no surprise to many after weeks of speculation that Valentino Rossi will move to the Ducati team for the 2011 season.

Confirmation came following the Brno MotoGP on Sunday, won by Rossi’s current team-mate Jorge Lorenzo who took his seventh victory of the season for the Fiat Yamaha team.

The 31-year-old Italian has signed a two-year deal with Ducati following a seven-year relationship with the Yamaha team with which he won four MotoGP World Championships.

Rossi said;

I think that here in Yamaha my work is finished.  The situation within Yamaha has changed a lot since 2004.   Now the M1 is maybe the best bike in MotoGP, Yamaha have great riders, so it looks like they don’t need me any more.

I’m very curious and very motivated for this new challenge and I think it will be very interesting.  I think an Italian rider on an Italian bike will be great for all Italian fans. I think we’ll have a lot of fans cheering for us.”

Doubts have already been raised on whether Rossi will be given permission to test the Ducati at the end of the season in Valencia due to contractual agreements with the Yamaha team to which Rossi stated;

“If Yamaha say no I’ll be very upset and sad.  Only Honda have said no to me in the past and that relationship was very different to the one between me and Yamaha.   If I can’t do it then I don’t understand the relationship between me and Yamaha!”

Garry McCoy - FB Corse - MotoGP 2010

The new FB Corse team have been given permission to join the MotoGP championship for 2010, starting from round three at Jerez.

The team have been testing with their rider for the season Garry McCoy, who although disappointed not to be on the grid from round one agrees that it will give himself and the team further testing time on the FB01.

Approval of the new team was given by Dorna representatives following Wednesday’s test timing test at the Valencia circuit where they have continued to test today.

The 37-year-old rider, who was better known as ‘The Slide King’ due to his style of riding has signed a two-year deal to race for the team after last competing in the MotoGP series back in 2006.

Moto2 Test Session - Assen 2009

Starting today the Moto2 teams are at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain, taking part in a two-day test session along with the World Superbike and World Supersport riders.

The Pons Kalex Team will have Axel Pons and Sergio Gadea aboard their machines following their recent visit to Germany where they have been developing the 2010 model.

The Monster Tech3 crew will have just one of their 2010 riders on track today, Raffaele de Rosa, who will be experiencing the bike for the first time.

The new Italtrans STR team will have their riders Roberto Rolfo and Robertini Pietri aboard putting the Sutar Racing prototype through it’s paces.

Mike de Meglio and Julián Simón will once again be riding the BQR bike which they borrowd for testing in early November to get a taste of the 600cc machine with rumours that they may even get to try out the Pons Kalex prototype on Thursday.

Uncertainty continues over the Aprilia Moto2 project, but it has been confirmed that the team will not be present at the two-day test session it is again rumoured that the senior management have had a change of heart.  If the bike does ever make it onto the track for the 2010 season still remains to be seen although it is looking more and more unlikely.

The MotoGP cost cutting goes a bit further than expected!

The provisional MotoGP Calendar has now been released by the FIM for the MotoGP World Championship of 2010, and hopefully all teams and riders will be on the grid as the economic crisis continues.

Date - Grand Prix - Circuit:
11 April - Qatar* - Losail
25 April - Japan - Motegi
2 May - Spain - Jerez
16 May - France - Le Mans
30 May - Italy - Mugello
6 June - Great Britain - Silverstone
26 June - Netherlands** - Assen
4 July - Catalunya - Catalunya
18 July - Germany - Sachsenring
25 July - United States*** - Laguna Seca
15 August - Czech Republic - Brno
29 August - Indianapolis - Indianapolis
12 September - San Marino & Riviera di Rimini - Misano
19 September - Hungary - Balatonring
10 October - Malaysia - Sepang
17 October - Australia - Phillip Island
31 October - Portugal - Estoril
7 November Valencia Ricardo Tormo-Valencia

* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class

In the event that one of the circuits is not able to comply with the requirements to hold the scheduled Grand Prix, the Motorland Aragon Circuit would host a reserve “event” on the same day.

He was out on his final run of the day when he lost control of his Aprilia and crashed.  It was initially thought that he had suffered no injury but after some discomfort with his hand he was seen at the circuit medical centre where the break was spotted.

The 23-year-old, underwent surgery on Thursday where he was fitted with a titanium plate to his fourth metacarpal and also had the fifth metacarpal pinned due to a dislocation.  He will now be returning to his Hungarian home where he has been told that he must rest his hand for the next 30 days before having the pin removed, he can then return to the track.

The older brother of Spanish rider Pol Espargaro, Aleix, is now to be a replacement for Németh this weekend at Assen.