Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden ready to return to action with the Ducati GP12

The Ducati Team riders were the stars of the first day of Wrooom 2012 at Madonna di Campiglio, with Nicky Hayden first to “take to the track” and answer questions from the international press in attendance. The American, who is recovering well enough from his injured left scapula that he has already removed his sling, then passed the baton to a pleased Valentino Rossi, who is motivated to get back in the saddle and start winter testing in just over two weeks.

“I’m much better,” confirmed Nicky Hayden, “so I’ve been able to remove the sling right on schedule. Here at Madonna di Campiglio, I’m starting to do a little training on a stationary bicycle under the supervision of the team physiotherapist, with the goal of being ready for the Sepang test (31 January – 2 February) as strong as possible. I can’t wait to ride the GP12, because it will be my first time ever. I wasn’t able to try it in the post-race test at Valencia, and I definitely won’t miss the next chance. I never made any secret that I prefer the new displacement to the 800s, although I think things will be much different than in 2006, beginning with the tyres, and the electronics have also come a long way. We’ll have more power, and we’ll have to find the right balance between controlling it while still taking as much advantage of it as we can. I’ve stayed in contact with Filippo (Preziosi) and the guys in the Ducati Corse department over the winter, and I know they’ve worked really hard. We’ll have a lot of things to try at Sepang. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m also confident that we can start to reduce the gap between now and the first race at Qatar. I believe in Ducati, this project and Filippo, and I want to get back on my Ducati as soon as possible.”

“We’re starting with a different spirit,” Valentino Rossi began with a smile. “When I came to Wrooom, I was still healing from my shoulder operation, and after that, the season didn’t go at all like we’d hoped. For this year, Filippo (Preziosi) designed a different bike, and they’ve made a big effort at Ducati to have it in time for the start of the winter tests. I visited the factory and saw it on a computer, and it’s beautiful. We’re not expecting it to be immediately perfect at Sepang, but rather to understand if we’ve worked in the proper direction. We’re very realistic, and our goal is to reduce the gap to our competition, step by step, working in a logical way, and from there to be able to refine the details in order to be competitive and to try and win. One of the most important things for going fast is to make the tyres work as they’re able to, so together with Filippo, we’ve tried to come up with a bike that will let them perform as well as possible. We’ll see if we’ve managed it. I like working with Ducati. I feel good here because there’s a nice atmosphere and we all have faith.”

Wrooom continues tomorrow with the press conference for Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Manager, who will go into detail on the bike’s development and the technical program that will allow the Desmosedici GP12 to confront the new MotoGP season as well as possible.

The first official videos are starting to emerge from the official Ducati Wrooom event being held at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort.

The Wrooom event is where Ducati officially launch their MotoGP season with interviews with the riders, the team, as well as showing off their new machinery – however, there is one conspicious absence this year – the GP12.

Ducati have opted not to take the 2012 MotoGP bike with them this year, and will instead roll it out at the first official test at the end of this month.

Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi have both started being quizzed by the press, with most of the attention focusing on Rossi’s expectations for 2012 and beyond. This is the final year of Rossi’s contract with Ducati, and he stated that although he was only focused on starting the season and bringing success to Ducati, he did see himself staying in MotoGP for possibly one more two year contract.

Some choice quotes from Valentino Rossi at the Wrooom Event:

On 2012 title aspirations:
“The championship is difficult because the gap in 2011 was quite big. Our target is to fix problems step by step, and try to come closer to Yamaha and Honda. And from that moment, start to fix all the details, to be competitive for the victory. I do not want to say from the start that I cannot fight for the championship, but I have to be realistic. In the end there was 1.5 seconds we have to recover, and our target is to get close to the others and be able to race with them and fight with them. This is our goal.”

On the 2012 Ducati GP12 bike:
“I think that the first test will be important, and for sure the bike will be different compared to last year. It is impossible to be competitive from the first test, but I think we will have some good information to work with, and be ready for the first race. Last year was a lot worse because from the first test we understood that the season will be very tough and difficult. “After three laps we understood we could not win the first race, but now the situation is better – because I am fit. We know we need time, but we work well together – and it is a dream to try and win the first race. But in reality, we are a bit too far off – but maybe the new bike is a miracle.”

On Honda:
“Honda has really set the bar high, and hopefully we are closer there than we were in Valencia. But sitting up here – talk is cheap. I can say this and that about how we are going to be right there, but until we get there and roll out of the garage. I am confident we will be closer. We have some idea – but there is no need to make any predictions here in January. And even then it doesn’t matter until we get to Qatar. I hope we will be much closer, and it will tell us more where the 1000s are against the 800s. But I believe in Ducati, I believe in this project, Filippo and everyone involved.”

“I think that in 2011, Honda decided they wanted to win and they put on the table an amount of money that others did not have. It came out with a bike that was really incredible, so this technology will go on with 1000cc. But I hope Yamaha will be more competitive and I hope so for us, to have a more balanced championship. That is our desire.”

On his future:
“The scenario is that during the season everything will become interesting, because all riders have their contracts expiring, so cards can be shuffled,”

“Honestly I don’t know. I would like to be able to make Ducati go fast and be able to win something, and then perhaps even stop – to race for a few more years and achieve some good results this is perhaps my goal but there are many other possibilities, but not now. I would like to at least do another contract so would like to sign at least another two-year contract. I think we are going to be speaking about the contract during the season, because we have to organise ourselves for 2013,” he said. “I do not want to do it too soon because when you risk losing concentration on the championship as it is underway, but we will try and plan my future.”

Nicky Hayden may have accidentally leaked pictures of it already, but Ducati have now ‘officially’ unveiled their Ducati GP10 machine that they will be contesting the 2010 MotoGP season with.

Claudio Domenicali joined Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden on the spectacular Patascoss slope to unveil the new Ducati Desmosedici GP10, the Ducati MotoGP Team’s latest weapon in the chase for the MotoGP title, against the dramatic backdrop of the Dolomites – recently added by Unesco to their World Natural Heritage list.

Claudio Domenicali’s Press Interview:
“Faith is the key word that Ducati are using in looking ahead to 2010, in a variety of aspects. We have a team that certainly makes us think we can approach the championship with great hope. Nicky and Casey are two riders who don’t need any type of introduction. We have faith in the company, because it has a solid, stable base in the Bonomi family, and it’s a company that has managed 2009 well: the motorcycle market had a big decline in 2009 — the market declined by over 30 percent, a very heavy, difficult amount. But our company managed very well and we dropped “only” 18 percent. In fact, in 2009, we had the largest share that the company has ever enjoyed historically.

“So also from the economic point of view, the company knew how to control very carefully its costs and manage 2009 well. For example, we didn’t cut or eliminate any development of future models, something that’s fundamental for the future health of the company. We have faith in the championship, because I see that Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO, Dorna Sports) — here with us — has come through a truly difficult moment, with great character. He’s always been present in person, and he’s somebody with whom you can have a relationship and a dialogue, so it’s very important for our company to be present in a championship run in this manner and Carmelo is thanked personally for this. We have faith in our sponsors, because 2009, as I said, has been very difficult and yet we’ve managed to continue to work very well with them. We have a very important main sponsor in MotoGP and other important partners like Telecom, Generali, Enel, Riello ups,t hat have been with us and grown with us over a long period of time. We also have faith in the media, who are well represented in this sport.”

Domenicali continued by discussing the recent changes to Ducati MotoGP Team management.

“2009 was a year — even from a sporting perspective — that was difficult and complicated. Nicky found things harder than he or we expected but he gave us a great lesson because he never lost his good attitude, he always had a spirit of great optimism and positivity. We were able to put at his disposition a bike that permitted him to obtain results that were in line with his talent. He gave us a podium at Indianapolis and he kept improving the whole season.

“Casey was very fast from the start, as he always is, and had great potential. Of course what happened at mid-season affected the season, but I believe that everyone — from Casey to us — has described what happened and clarified it so it seems useless for me to continue to give details. The important thing, in my opinion, is that today we have Casey with us, probably in the best health we’ve ever seen him. We have reason for optimism for both riders. There have also been some changes to the management, with Alessandro Cicognoni and Vitto Guareschi coming in, having shown themselves in the team to have competence and perhaps even bring things that were missing. It’s I believe that this important change leaves the company in a solid situation, also because it’s in some way personalized by an incredible talent as Filippo Preziosi, who is the true engine of all our racing activities, and he remains safe, solid, and dedicated. I believe it’s a change in the continuity, if we can define it that way.

And, of course, he detailed some of the main changes to the Ducati Desmosedici GP10.

“The main changes to the bike are based on the rule changes, so the major part of the work was done precisely to make it perform better using only six engines for the entire championship. It’s a very important difference, because we were used to using more-or-less one engine per race, so to switch from eighteen engines to six is a very important adjustment. To go 1,600 kilometres with an engine that goes over 19,000 rpm isn’t a simple assignment. All of the main parts were redesigned — pistons, rods, crankshaft, the basics. It’s an engine with which our main objective was to minimize the loss of power to increase durability. It was a change that will be very useful and interesting, also because normally in racing, durability isn’t the principal objective. Perhaps this new objective has enabled us to perform a series of experiments that will also be interesting for the new production engines that we’re developing because at this point they become almost comparable. For a production engine, 2,000 kilometres of track use is a severe challenge so we start to think that the race engine durability is comparable with production engines. The second big news isn’t related to the rules, but to our attempt to make the bike more rideable. This has to do with the firing order. We have a motor that, since the switch to 800s, utilized a screamer setup. This has permitted us to have maximum power, which was very important and was probably fundamental with the results that we’ve had in 2007, 2008 and 2009, but at a certain point, we began to wonder whether it could be worthwhile to re-test a way that we’d already followed in the past. The last 1000cc motors that we made in 2005 and 2006 used a big-bang firing order, and this gave us important rideability. We re-tested that way, first trying it on the dyno, then with Vittoriano Guareschi in his previous role as test rider and then with Nicky and Casey. We think we have a bike for 2010 with better traction, and that therefore makes it easier for us to find a good setup. Another part of the work was dedicated to the chassis. In the pursuit of ease of use, we’ve worked to eliminate the bike’s squatting, which is why the entire rear portion of the bike was redesigned. This bike has a rear structure that carries the rider — which we call the seat support — and that also supports the swingarm. That part was redesigned to have six mounting points instead of four; this makes the bike more rigid in a way and it guarantees better rideability and improved rigidity. With respect to the bike we introduced last year, this bike is also aesthetically different because of the redesigned fairing but we already saw that at Estoril.”

Official video of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 Unveiling at Wrooom 2010:
Warning – contains some bad Michael Jackson style dancing.

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DUCATI DESMOSEDICI GP10 Technical Specifications

• Engine: liquid-cooled, 90 degree V4 four-stroke, desmodromic DOHC, our valves per cylinder.
• Capacity: 799cc
• Maximum power: more than 200hp
• Maximum speed: in excess of 310 kph/192 mph
• Transmission: Six-speed cassette-type gearbox, with alternative gear ratios available. Dry multiplate slipper clutch. Chain final drive.
• Carburation: Indirect Magneti Marelli electronic injection, four throttle bodies with injectors above butterfly valves. Throttles operated by EVO TCF (Throttle Control & Feedback) system.
• Fuel:Shell Racing V-Power
• Lubricant:Shell Advance Ultra 4
• Ignition: Magneti Marelli
• Exhaust:Termignoni
• Final Drive: Regina Chain
• Suspension: Öhlins upside-down 48mm front forks and Öhlins rear shock absorber, adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping.
• Tyres: Bridgestone 16.5″ front and rear
• Brakes: Brembo, two 320mm carbon front discs with four-piston callipers. Single stainless steel rear disc with two-piston callipers.
• Dry weight: 150kg

Nicky Hayden hosted a Q & A session at the Ducati Wrooom press event at Madonna di Campiglio.

He talked about his 2009 season, his expectations for 2010, how he felt about the Ducati, and how his relationship with Casey Stoner was developing.

Nicky Hayden’s Press Interview at Wrooom 2010 below:

Q. What is your summary of the 2009 season?

Nicky Hayden: Last season obviously we had a bit higher expectations than how it went. It was tougher than we had hoped, but life is like this sometimes – and things don’t go exactly as you draw them up and how you lay in bed and vision them. Sure we started off the season and had a couple of big crashes and got beat up, and just really couldn’t get any momentum going.

I think the thing that we have to be positive about is that there was a lot of hard work from everybody at Ducati to really listen to me, and give me the help I needed to make the progress – and the people at Phillip Morris.

We were able to slowly and surely start working our way towards the front, and finished the season really positive. Was it enough? No. But I was able to get on the podium at Indy, and finish the season with two top fives in a row – and make some big steps with myself, with the bike, with the team with my set-up and a lot of areas. So we are really excited for the new season. We need to pick up right where we left off and keep trying to close the gap to the front.

Q. That leads us on to this season. What are your expectations for 2010?

NH: Well, 2010 for sure is exciting. The [2009] season ended, like I said, in a positive way. We had a good test in Valencia. I liked the bike and another off-season with the team will be a big help for me. We made some changes to some guys in the team just to get the communication a little bit better, so I hope with the off-season and with those guys, it will help me.

We spent some times in the wind tunnel, and Ducati is committed to helping me. We will just wait and see what happens – there is no need to sit here and talk about it, blow a lot of smoke and making a lot of predictions. We just need to get ready for when we get to Qatar and the lights go out to be able to get up front.

Q. A lot of people say that the bike is designed around Casey Stoner. Can you comment on that from your perspective?

NH: I’ve had that question maybe once or twice before! But sure – everybody asks that and I don’t see it. Sure it is a great match. Casey finds the limit of this bike and I think some of his strong points are to be so fast and so quick it suits this bike. But really, Casey is a special talent – I don’t think it’s so much just the bike suits his style. Sure it is a good package but I think Casey will be just as fast on any bike.

The bike is a little bit special – I am not going to deny that fact. Sure it has some things that make it sometimes hard to get the most out of it, but once you do get to the limit it is a bit of a sharp key – when you do get it on the limit is so hard. I think he just finds it. The bike is, as he has shown and other guys at times have shown, the bike is hard but he has shone on it week in, week out that it really sets him apart.

Q. What is your working relationship like with Casey Stoner?

NH: Me and Casey have a great relationship. You know we get on well, we think alike. Sometimes on different things, on one part of the bike we have our different ideas. But we can talk, be open, agree to disagree – and we never really had too much drama. Obviously he beat me a lot, so it is not as if we have been going head to head too much. Me and Casey have a fine relationship.

I get to see him away from the track, and at times hang out a bit and get to see a different side. Sometimes it is not just the racer, he is also a person. I know Casey quite well. It is not like we exchange text messages every day, and hang out and chit chat, but he is a good guy and obviously I respect his talent. Sure we talk from time to time, and bounce ideas off each other. So we have a good relationship.

Q. You talked about being in the wind tunnel. Can you explain that a bit more, and what the problem was last year?

NH: Well, wind tunnel was just part of the deal. You just look in every area. I went last year to the wind tunnel and went back this winter, to try and gain every tenth we can this year. At times my top speed was never as good as some of the other Ducati riders. I have no doubt I had the same engine and the same resources they have.

I am a little bit bigger and I just try and find the perfect combination of fairing, seat, ride position to get the most out of it. At times this year it was strange why my top speed was less – sure some of it was getting off the corner, but we feel like we are missing something compared to the other Ducati riders. So we wanted to try and find the answer.

Q. You mentioned one of your goals was to get up to speed quicker on race weekend. Do you have a plan of how to do that?

NH: Well a lot of it is me. Last year a lot of times we would be changing the bike. I would get there Friday and be so far off the pace that I would be 13th/14th and we would joke that we needed to race on Tuesdays, because it was not until Sunday morning that we would normally find a set-up.

The ideal thing in this world is to find a set-up in the winter testing, which is why you have the winter tests – to find a good base set-up so that when you turn up on Friday you are just testing a tyre, maybe a spring and some clickers. I was still, Saturday morning, changing seat heights and wheelbases, and lots of different shocks and different options.

Our plan is, and it is never that easy, but certainly we hope this winter to find a good base set-up that works on a lot of tracks and in different conditions. Our engine package for 2010 we also hope will allow us to be better on Fridays when the track is dirty and we don’t have the right set-up.

Q. Last year you talked of the ‘Fab Four’ – the only four guys who could win the championship. Do you think there will be more men capable of battling for the title this year?

NH: Yeah. I hope, and I believe, the number can be larger, but sure at the moment we have the fact that these guys have an advantage – there are four guys who have a stamp on everybody else and it is up to us to close that gap. I think and believe that this year we can do it, but saying it don’t really mean much – we have to do it on the track.

Q. In the past quite a few motorcycle champions have switched to four wheels. Have you ever considered it?

NH: You know it has crossed my mind, but I am pretty content right now. I have a lot I want to accomplish on two wheels. I love motorcycles too much at the moment. Sure I am a competitive guy, so the idea of racing cars doesn’t sound too bad. I am happy on two wheels and the car thing for me, I’ve done a little bit, but for me it has been hard. You are so tied in, and that is the thing I like about motorcycles – you are part of the bike. You don’t feel restricted. It is an option one day, but for now two wheels it is where it is for me.

Casey Stoner sounded positive and focused when he was quizzed about the current state of his health and how he felt about the new bike. The Director General of Ducati Motor, Mr Claudio Domenicali, will face the press today (wednesday 13th Jan) to officially unveil the Ducati Desmosedici GP 10 – although Nicky Hayden actually did this a few weeks back by accident when he posted photos of the Ducati Desmosedici GP 10 to his website after a trip he made to the factory.

Hayden said: “When I saw the bike I took a picture on my phone. I should have known better, I was like a kid.”

Casey Stoner:

“I’m fine and I feel great. I’ve been asked the same question pretty much every day since last October, which is obviously understandable, but I’m happy to reiterate that everything is okay. The lactose-free diet I’m following is proving to be effective and this is the first winter in three years that I’ve been able to train without any operations or injuries so that has been a great help. I feel we’re ready for next season, also because the test we did at Valencia following the final race of 2009 was really positive. The new ‘big bang’ firing order that the Ducati engineers have been working on is definitely a step forward: it has improved traction and handling and it has reduced the bike’s tendency to wheelie. Now we have to work on finding the right settings for the GP10 and understanding how the bike reacts to different set-up changes, which will be different to the old bike. There are a few standout rivals for this season: Valentino Rossi is still the man to beat because he is the World Champion and he’s an extraordinary rider. Lorenzo and Dani will also be there – they are both fast and I’m sure their motivation is higher than ever. I’m also sure Nicky will have plenty to celebrate this year – he had a difficult and unlucky first season with the team but he improved a lot towards the end and he was on the pace. I’d be happy for him because we have a great relationship and I think it is unusual to have an atmosphere in the garage like the one we have. There have been a few changes to the team with the arrival of Vittoriano (Guareschi) and Alessandro (Cicognani) but they are both doing a great job and I can’t wait to get back out on track for the first test of the year. The objective for 2010 is to win, as it is for everybody of course, but whether or not we manage it the most important thing is that we give it our best shot and I feel we can do that now.”

Nicky Hayden:
“I’m not going to start making excuses but 2009 was a very tough year for us – tougher than we expected. But I am proud of the way myself and my team reacted and of the results we managed through hard work and by keeping faith in ourselves and our bike. To step onto the podium at Indy and to score consistent top five finishes in races and tests towards the end of the year, having started out fifteenth or sixteenth at the start of the year, represents huge progress. I have high hopes for 2010: I like the bike I rode in the test at Valencia and I’m pleased with the changes. Now we have to find a good base set-up that is going to work at different circuits so that we can get straight on the pace without having to change too much. Having Vittoriano, a fellow rider who knows the bike to perfection and can pick up on our feedback immediately, is a great help. It is sometimes difficult to find the limit of the Desmosedici but its potential is huge – Casey has shown that in the past and he continues to do so. Sure, he has a special connection with the bike and he is an incredible talent, but I am confident that we can make some steps forward too.”

Video Interviews with Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner at Ducati Wrooom:

Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner were at the opening day, and the week long event usually is packed with press stunts like watching Nicky Hayden try to ski, and ice-kart racing.

Video below of Hayden and Stoner at Wrooom:

Press release:
Madonna di Campiglio (Italy). Wrooom –Press Ski Meeting 2010 has officially opened, a week that traditionally combines spectacle, sport and meetings with the international press in Madonna di Campiglio’s magnificent Dolomites. Events will get underway tomorrow, with press conferences with the two Ducati MotoGP Team riders, Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden.

On Wednesday 13th it will be the turn of Claudio Domenicali, General Manager of Ducati Motor Holding. Another key moment will be the official presentation of the Ducati Desmosedici GP 10.

The week, that also includes events dedicated to the Scuderia Ferrari, will conclude on Friday 15th January.

Factory Ducati MotoGP riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden arrive at the 2010 Ducati MotoGP launch in style (Video):

Casey Stoner denying MotoGP races are becoming dull:

Nicky Hayden interviewed on the single tyre rule