Ductalk

Qatar Race Photos. Dancing In The Dark.......

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Nicky Hayden takes part in the MotoGP 2012 Qatar Free Practice...

 We are in the middle of a desert, but it's nothing like the soft dunes of the old Dakar rally; here there is only rocks, sand and huge lighting towers to illuminate a track in the middle of nowhere. On the first day of school, Fenati and Iannone were the teachers pets, each just barely missing out on an A+, but they will have 17 more chances to hit the mark. The MotoGP race was all about Stoner and Lorenzo, but the Australian failed physical eduction. The CRT riders gave their best, but they might need to be held back for a year. Valentino Rossi played the class clown, and as the lights were being switched off at Qatar, the spotlight was left shining on his relationship with Ducati. But at least it wasn't boring.
The Good –

Read more: http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201204096585/Qatar-the-Good-the-Bad-the-Ugly.html#ixzz1rdysaWGI

MotoGP 2012 - 01 - Qatar GP

Hayden sixth in Qatar Grand Prix, Rossi tenth

At the opening round of the MotoGP season, the Ducati Team earned a sixth-place finish with Nicky Hayden and tenth place with Valentino Rossi. The American didn’t get a great start, but his performance improved steadily as the laps ticked down, and he came out on top of a hard-fought battle with Alvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl and Hector Barbera to finish in sixth place.

Having started from the twelfth spot on the grid after a difficult qualifying session, Valentino Rossi dealt with a number of problems but worked hard the entire race, eventually turning decent lap times.

The racing department in Bologna and the Ducati Team engineers will continue to develop the GP12 in an effort to make progress for the next Grand Prix, which will take place in Jerez, Spain, on April 27-29.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 6th
“I felt we had the potential to run with Dovizioso and Crutchlow, but considering my injuries and limited testing over the winter, I guess sixth is pretty good. I lost some positions at the beginning because I got hung up behind Spies and wasn’t very good on the brakes, but as the race went on, I managed my tyre well and got stronger. That group I was in was fighting hard, and I was happy to bring Bradl back and come out on top of that battle. We put some good points on the board, got some data and learned a lot from riding with other people. I’m excited for the season. I think if we improve some things, we have the potential to put up some good results. I’d like to thank the team, the sponsors and everybody back at Ducati for all their work, because we’ve clearly taken a step forward since last year.”

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 10th
“Unfortunately, I lost a lot of time in the beginning because when I had new tyres with good grip, the rear pushed a lot, making it very difficult under braking. Then Barbera pushed me off the track and I lost five or six seconds. Otherwise, I could have stayed with that group. As the tyre became used and began to slide, I started to ride a bit better and to do better times, to the point that I matched my best time on the last lap. By that point though, it didn’t count for much.”

Vittoriano Guareschi (Team Manager)
“It was a challenging weekend for our team, but we can also look at some positive aspects as we continue to focus on working with the still-young GP12. Valentino had a difficult qualifying session, and he had problems in the race, particularly in the early laps with fresh tyres. We must learn how to solve this, because in the end he posted some good times. Nicky felt more comfortable during practice, and today he rode with great determination, scrapping with Bautista, Bradl and Barbera to win the hard fight for sixth place. We’ll compare the data and the information we gathered from both riders in order to improve our bike for Jerez.”

 Intensity, thy name is Valentino...

(translated by Google)

There is a subtle irony in the standings after the third free practice session for the Losail International Circuit, Ducati are three in a row, from 6 to 8th place, but the positions are reversed . In front of the pilot not titrated with a Ducati abandoned after the first test in Valencia at the end of last season, behind the tip with the latest evolution of the D16, in the midst of his faithful squire. Barbera, Hayden, Rossi shows the list of the times, in more than a nuisance on the road to the summit for Valentino. " We will see which positions will be Sunday evening, finished the race "raises the Doctor.

But now I'm in front.
" We are all three very close, Nicky is riding well, Hector has done in the wake of that time, however, was good . "
It was not possible to do more?
" We put the soft rubber at the end of the round and we could not get the most . "
With the tough but what is the situation?
" Much better, mainly because I could always turn on a steady pace , even after 22 or 23 laps on the same tire . "
Where was the most important step?
" The front, is much more sincere than last year and allows me to draw lines that you want . "
But there is still work.
" We must remain calm and focused. The understeer is the biggest problem . "
For tomorrow, what is your goal?
" The second row , we can do it. Then improve on the pitch, two or three tenths there would be enough to manage to do the race with a group of riders ahead of us . "

Read more: http://www.gpone.com/index.php/201204066542/Rossi-i-conti-si-fanno-la-domenica.html#ixzz1rIdMUIRg

And they are off.....GP is BACK for 2012!

Thursday free practice:

1. Stoner
2. Lorenzo
3. Hayden
4. Spies
5. Pedrosa
6. Crutchlow
7. Bautista
8. Dovizioso
9. Barbera
10. Rossi
11. Abraham
12. Bradl
13. de Puniet
14. Edwards
15. Pirro
16. Espargaro
17. Silva
18. Pasini
19. Hernandez
20. Petrucci
21. Ellison