The Pramac Ducati reigns will be handed over to Loris Capirossi and Randy De Puniet for 2011, and Espargaro gives his thoughts on his final race with the team below.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Pramac Racing Technical Director
“We regret not being able to fight for a better position today. Aleix had a really good rhythm this morning and we had high hopes for the race. The first few laps were really good for him, the eighth position was very close. Then, lap after lap while the others have the pace down slightly, he has not been able to approach them and overtake them. The 109 points scored this year are not much, but from this point we begin to work for better results for next year.”

Aleix Espargarò – 11th in the race – 14th in the World Championship
“I am truly sorry for the final position. This was my last race in this Team where I found true friends and I wanted to achieve a good result. I do not have much to say about the race, I tried to overtake my rivals but my pace was not so quick to allow me to approach them. I would like to thank the Pramac Racing Team, Paolo Campinoti and all the technicians who accompanied me during this year. It’s been a great experience where I learned a lot and I’m sure it will be useful for me for the rest of my career.”

Carlos Checa – 15th in the race – 21st in the World Championship
“I wanted to finish this race in every way and I did. The result is not exceptional, but the feeling with my bike was not that strong to allow me to do better. It’s a really good start, but unfortunately after six laps my pace was not fast enough for me to hold the position won. I was first passed by Bautista in the seventh round, while the next lap I passed Capirossi and Aoyama. Thank you anyway to Pramac Racing Team for allowing me to run these last two races while riding their bikes and I wish them a successful future.”

Aleix Espargaro – Pramac Racing Team
“The fall on the first lap of last Sunday’s race was not what I was aiming. I was aiming to achieve a good result on Estoril’s track and the results of Friday and Saturday free practice sessions had give me high hopes for the race. Sunday we’ll return to Spain for the fourth time this year. In the other three Grands Prix on the Ibernian land of this year, I have conquered a fifteenth position in Jerez, a good tenth position in Aragon and a withdraw on Barcelona’s track, a race in which I had done a very good weekend. I hope to greatly improve the position conquer in Aragon and conclude in the best way my first MotoGP season. This track has a different flavor for me, I made my debut here in the 2004 while I was riding a 125cc. ”

Carlos Checa – Pramac Racing Team
“The rain during Estoril’s Grand Prix have certainly not helped me. I needed to run as much as possible on the track and the weather conditions that I have found have not allowed me to do that. The feeling that I was able to develop with the bike during the weekend have not allowed me to find the right riding position on the dry track. The forearm pain after a few laps did not allow me to give to the bike the right braking and the best way to entre in the turns. My results on Valencia’s track are not exciting, but I have taken some satisfaction in my long career, arriving twice in the fourth position in the 2001 and in the 2005. Even if I do not feel any pressure, I’ll try to do my best to give a good result to the Pramac Racing Team which have offered me this fantastic opportunity. “

The lack of track time at this weekend’s Estoril MotoGP certainlly took their effect on the returning Carlos Checa who was forced to retire after 13 laps with forearm pain that was preventing him from braking properly.

Aleix Espargaro also have a weekend to forget as he crashed out on the first lap.

Carlos Checa – DNF
“My bike was perfect, but my forearm, unfortunately not. I feel sorry for the technicians who worked for me this weekend and for the Pramac Racing Team, for not having completed today’s race. The bike I got to ride in Superbike this year is very different from the MotoGP given to me by the Pramac Racing Team and it never got the possibility to try it on the dry asphalt condition for more than ten laps, this certainly haven’t helped me. After six laps my forearm pain was really insufferable, I could not properly use the brake, my lap pace was not very good as the beginning of the race, and because of the pain I could not be able to be as fast as I wanted. I tried to keep it until the end, but the pain was too strong to complete the fifteen laps that had separated me from the checked flag. I hope that in Valencia the weather condition will be kind with me so that I can be able to have a good race weekend.”

Aleix Espargaro – DNF
“I cannot understand what happened. I made a very good start by passing from the eleventh to the ninth position after the first sector. My opponents were very close to me and the pace I had this morning had me had high hopes for today’s race. Then suddenly, while I was turning in to a curve, even not one of the fastest of the circuit, I completely lost the rear of my bike as I had found a patch of oil or something very slippery. I tried to go back in the saddle, but my bike was already turned off. Too bad because I really had a good rhythm on this track, both in yesterday’s practice and this morning during the warm up. My thoughts are now turned to Valencia for the final race of the 2010 World Championship.”

Aleix Espargaró said:
“If I had to go to Moto2 I’d have to have the best guarantees and I know that Sito Pons can give me them. I’m delighted and very excited at the new challenge and at the prospect of being able to work with Sito, Santi Mulero and the whole team. I know what they are capable of and I know what I’m capable of too, and together we have the potential to fight at the highest level from the very beginning. I take this on with great respect too because I know I’ll be riding amongst great riders and teams, which gives me even more of an incentive to face this new challenge.”

Team boss Sito Pons said:
“We have been looking for a rider who can give us the best chances of success in 2011. We’ve always admired Aleix. The moment he decided not to continue in the MotoGP category we were clear that he was the rider we wanted to lead our project. Aleix is a rider who has done very well in MotoGP and who also knows the Moto2 category. Combined with his enormous talent and youth it all fits in perfectly with the philosophy of our team. Aleix will have the full support of our manufacturer, Kalex, and along with the experience of our technical team directed by Santi Mulero I am convinced he can be a main contender in Moto2 next season.”

Carlos Checa – 7th fastest time in 1’53 .933
“The last position on the starting grid for my return to MotoGP World is not very exciting. I’m still very happy because I had improved my feeling with the bike during this morning and also because I have reduced my best lap time by almost half of a second. For now it’s okay. I hope to be able to make many laps during tomorrow warm up in order to further improve my feeling.”

Carlos Checa also had to contend with horrific weather conditions that reduced his track time and gave him less data to work with in order to get himself up to race pace.

Checa talks about his first full day as a returining MotoGP racer:

Carlos Checa 17th fastest time in 1’54 .444
“There couldn’t been worst weather conditions for my return in the MotoGP world. Too bad because the rain did not allow me to do many laps as I wanted. This morning tests were completely useless, the water on the track was really too much. There is a huge difference between the Superbike bike that I was able to ride during this year and the MotoGP bike of the Pramac Racing Team, but despite the difference I was able to improve my pace lap after lap. I need time to get used to this new bike that I’ve tested only during a short test on Mugello track, but in completely different conditions. I hope that I can run as much as possible tomorrow morning and improve the feeling with the bike.”

Team-mate Aleix Espargaro, who looks like competing in Moto2 next season, finished in 14th.

Aleix Espargarò 14th fastest time in 1’53 .769
“I do not have really much to say, today’s weather conditions haven’t certainly helped me this morning. I was the first rider to exit from the pit lane, but the track was really full of water and with lots of puddles. During this afternoon we worked on the bike setting, we had two alternatives to be developed. We’ve got the possibility to try them both and define which gives more guarantees of performance. It will be vital for me to stay on the track as much as possible during the third free practice tomorrow in order to reduce as much as I can my lap pace.”

Kallio managed to finish in 11th position in a race that was once again severely depleted of riders due to Loris Capirossi and Dani Pedrosa pulling out of the race with injury.

Aleix Espargaro had a solid performance and finished in 8th position after a lengthy battle with Marco Melandri.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“We are pleased with how things went today. After two races to forget we’ve got two good results that give us great confidence in our assets for the last two races of the season. Today’s result acquires more importance because it was obtained with both riders in not perfect physical condition. This morning we tried a couple of technical solutions during the warm up, we then used this set up during the race, we knew that Ducati has a good performance on this track and we made our best to be able to made the riders lead the race in the best way. ”

Aleix Espargarò – 8th
“What a great race, I am happy for the final result. Being back in the top ten in these conditions is a good thing. This morning after the warm up I had a little pain in my forearm and in my inflamed wrist. Before the race I had an acupuncture treatment in the mobile clinic that has helped me to feel less pain during the race. My start was not the best, after the first corner I lost three positions. Fortunately, in a couple of laps, when my tyres came up to the right temperature, I lowered my lap time and I overtaken some riders who were ahead of me. I then reduced the gap I had from Melandri in just three laps. Once I reached the Italian rider I started a brawl with him that we have continued until the last straight. I managed to end the race in eighth position by a breath. I am satisfied with how things went, especially when I think to the two previous races in which I could not be competitive as I wanted. Now I’ll have a week off in which I hope to resolve my physical problems and be back in top form for the next Portugal Grand Prix.”

Mika Kallio – 11th
“What a pity, I am very sorry for the final position. By a narrow margin, less than 3 cents of a second, I could not close the race in the tenth position. The disappointment is even greater when I think about the fact that I was in the tenth position for almost the entire race. Returning to the race, my start was not the best but I have limited the damage, I was in twelfth place after the first round. Then on the fifth lap I managed to climb to the tenth position. I kept my pace consistently fast for about ten laps, this allowed me to be very close to my teammate and to Melandri. Unfortunately, over the course of the race the shoulder pain was aggravated and with for that reason my pace lap has suffered greatly. With four laps to go I was overtaken by Bautista, an in the next lap I was overtaken also by De Puniet. But thanks to an excellent last lap I managed to overtake Bautista. Too bad because my final gap from De Puniet, and from the tenth position, was less than 3 cents, a real blow and I finished the race in eleventh position. “

Mika Kallio managed to secure his best qualifying position in what seems ike an eternity by taking 12th position in what could be his last race for the Pramac Ducati team.

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“We can feel quite satisfied with how our riders finished the qualifying session today. I’m sure that if the rain had not stopped Mika, he could have done even better. We have both riders in the fourth row and this will be a good opportunity for us in the case of good start to remain with the fastest riders since the first turn. A big question mark for tomorrow’s race, beyond the technical choices, will be the weather conditions. Anything can happen.”

Aleix Espargarò – 11th, best lap time in 1’32.542
“Every time I left the pit box after about three or four laps, I felt pain in my right wrist and this didn’t allow me to handle the brakes as I should. This was very risky and did not allowed me to push hard. I received some medical check up and there seems nothing to worry about even if I, as a precaution, will undergo some treatments tomorrow morning. For tomorrow I would like the track to be either fully wet or dry. The middle situation on this circuit becomes very complicated to deal with.”

Mika Kallio – 12th, best lap time in 1’32.816
“Despite the pain in my left shoulder we have given all we could and things worked out quite well. We were going to improve further more but the rain has stopped me. Too bad, but this result gives me good confidence for tomorrow’s race. We have found bike’s best set up for tomorrow’s race, even though, of course, it will all depend on the track conditions we will find.”

Mika Kallio 11th fastest lap time in 1’44 .170
“Riding my bike with the shoulder in these conditions becomes increasingly difficult, riding it on a wet track is even more difficult. I’m quite happy because I was able to reduce my lap time in the last minute. Certain the gap from the former riders cannot enjoy myself much, but I am still confident for tomorrow’s qualifying, where we will try to limit the damage and gain a good starting position for Sunday’s Grand Prix. ”

Aleix Espargarò 15th fastest lap time in 1’48 .127
“With today’s weather condition I tried to go fast while avoiding taking excessive risk and this does not helped me to be very fast. The gap from the first rider is huge, but I do not give much importance to this think, also because I hope that tomorrow the weather conditions are getting better so that I can be able to fight for a good starting position. “

Possibly more alarming is that GPOne are reporting that Pramac Ducati will be scaling back their MotoGP efforts and are going to run only one bike next season with Loris Capirossi as the rider. This news has not yet been confirmed via an official press announcement however.

This will be a huge blow for the series as it is looking increasingly likely that Suzuki are due to announce a one bike team for 2011 (with Alvaro Bautista) and Interwetten Honda are strongly rumoured to be close to pulling out of the 2011 season due to financial issues.

The Pramac Ducati team reflect back on the Malaysian MotoGP below:

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“The physical conditions and the hot weather have certainly not helped Mika’s race. This morning during the warm up, we had further reduced the gap we had accused yesterday by the best riders, but this was not enough for our riders to fight for better positions. Too bad for Aleix’s race. He was considerably reducing his lap pace when he lost the front of his bike. From the television we have seen that he should not have had problems, we will investigate to understand what happened. From Tuesday we’ll return to work hard for the next Australian Grand Prix.”

Mika Kallio – 15th in the race
“What a difficult race. I won three positions thanks to a good start, but I still finished the first round in the last position. On the third lap I was struggling with my teammate, who did have a better lap pace than mine. Together we repaired the gap from Barberą. On the fifteenth lap I passed Hector, but the shoulder pain and excessive heat did not allow me to maintain my position unchanged. With three laps to go I was overtaken by Barberą. I finished the race in twelfth place that is not a good position, but with my physical condition I could not hope to a better position. ”

Aleix Espargaro – DFN
“I’m very disappointed and sad about how things went, despite a quite good start, I managed not to lose positions. But in the early rounds my tires were not in temperature and I could not get a good lap pace. From the third round I have seen that the grip was still significantly increased. My pace was good enough to try to overtake some positions, during the sixth lap, I first overtake Barberą and then my team-mate Mika Kallio. Just after passing him, in a corner change of direction, the bike slipped away. Fortunately, it didn’t turn off, but unfortunately the handlebar was broken. Too bad because with so many drops and withdrawals in the today’s race, I could gain a position among the top ten. The important thing is now to return to work in the best way to be ready for the next Australian Grand Prix that will take place next Sunday. “