Interview taped today of Valentino Rossi using questions posed by the fans.
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Ductalk: What's Up In The World Of Ducati
Ducati News Roundup Curated by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Interview taped today of Valentino Rossi using questions posed by the fans.
MotoGP.com blocks video on outside sites, just click thru to a working link
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Valentino Rossi says it is up to Ducati to rectify problems with its 2012 challenger, and that his confidence in his own abilities has not been diminished by his struggles on the Desmosedici.
Ducati made a multitude of changes to the GP12 in the wake of a first winless season in 15 years for Rossi in 2011, but the Italian still struggled and could only finish 10th in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix.
Team-mate Nicky Hayden finished sixth, while the satellite Pramac Ducati of Hector Barbera edged Rossi out late on to capture ninth.
While such a slump has led to widespread questioning in his native Italy, Rossi says he is confident he can still perform - and that his problems lie instead with the handling of the Ducati.
"Age penalises you, it's true, but a difficult year doesn't make you forget how to stay with the leading pack. In my opinion, I still know how to do it," Rossi told Motosprint.
"It's very clear who makes our bike: [Filippo] Preziosi is the boss and the thinking brain behind everything. It's up to him to help us.
"Our problems are very clear: what doesn't work at the rear, under acceleration, in my opinion comes from the front, and the cause is understeering. more here: http://www.racer.com/rossi-calls-for-ducati-to-help-riders/article/236010/
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
A downbeat Valentino Rossi conceded that at present he simply cannot get to grips with the 2012 Ducati after struggling to 10th place in the Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-time MotoGP champion was a long way off the pace throughout the Losail weekend, and could not match team-mate Nicky Hayden's pace.
While Rossi said an earlier clash with Hector Barbera was a factor in his Qatar result, he admitted that the biggest problem was that the bike did not suit him at all....more here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98678
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
(translated from Italian)
THE VILLAGE HOUSE PANIGALE
Lapo 'A' bid for Ducati?
No, only patriotic zeal "
"I would hate if it were sold abroad '
Lapo Elkann - Fiat/Ferrari
BOLOGNA - "I consider myself a great patriot and I would hate if the Ducati was sold abroad and ended up in wrong hands. Managers have made a request economic hateful. What would subside if the claims? In that case, yes, I think that we come forward with an offer. " Says Lapo Elkann in an interview with Panorama Icon on newsstands Thursday. But spend a few hours and Lapo states: "I never thought of making a concrete offer for Ducati. Mine was a patriotic impulse to a company of which I have always loved motorcycles, with Ferrari's home in nearby Emilia. " No offer, in short, to the home of Ducati motorcycles. "Moreover, as I read in the newspapers - adds Elkann - the negotiations seem at an advanced stage."
LAPO FOR FERRARI - For over a year Lapo Elkann speaks of "Ferrari Tailor Made ', the project customization and' customization 'wanted by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, to meet the wishes of all the fanatics of the red. Daughter of the laboratory Tailor Made, California is the 599 "blue mat Scotland" with which the grandson of Gianni Agnelli has been seen around in lately, while the other is the famous Lapo-Mobile 458 Italy camouflage livery seen in magazines around the world. "Here, let me stress this: the military is not part of the Ferrari custom world says Lapo Elkann - but is a little mad that I wanted to have this. It is simply the machine Lapo. The 599 California, however, is the car of Lapo Elkann. " ( source: Reuters)
April 2, 2012
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
INCREASING MotoGP engines to 1000cc is a dead end for rider safety and factory involvement, says the most experienced crew chief in motorcycle racing...."For the first time in 33 years working in Europe I have a definite concern about the future of motorcycle Grand Prix racing," says Ducati crew chief Burgess..."
South Australian Jeremy Burgess, who guided Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, below, to world championships, says the change for this season is bordering on being lethal.
"It was a folly to return to the 1000cc limit for season 2012," he said in an exclusive interview with The Advertiser.
"These (1000cc) are car engines now that we are putting into a motorcycle. On the fastest circuits, a rider slip-streaming another with just a breath of a tail wind will top 360km/h."
The death last October of popular rider Marco Simoncelli is still fresh in the minds of racers and fans, as is the number of crashes at the past Australian round of the MotoGP at Phillip Island.
There, Yamaha stars Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, and Australian wildcard Damian Cudlin, crashed out of the meeting during qualifying. Rossi crashed during the race and only 10 riders finished.
Seventeen were originally entered for the MotoGP event.
"For the first time in 33 years working in Europe I have a definite concern about the future of motorcycle Grand Prix racing," says Ducati crew chief Burgess.
"And I know that some principal technicians in other factories do as well."...more
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Q Could you tell me a little bit about yourself, and your arrival at Ducati in this new role?
A Okay, let me give you a short feedback. I start with Ducati in 1998. Already a few years now. I set up the subsidiary in France, the branch in France. I was coming from the IT environment, so was a big jump. But I always - I think I got my motorcycle license, was in 1978, I would say. Yes. First motorcycle was in 1978. So.
Q What kind of motorcycle was that?
A Well, the first one was - I don't know if you have this bike here. It was a Yamaha DTMX. That at this time was the most sold, most successful bike. This was a 125cc, because we were, in France, the regulation make you able to ride a 125 starting at 16 years old, so you get my age now if you do a short calculation. And then so, I arrive in Ducati in 1998. In France, I started the subsidiary, and then in 2006, I took over some other country, and we built and created Ducati West Europe. And last year, I came here in the US, which is another big jump, because it's really ...more