Last year while Marco Simoncelli was racing to win the 250cc World Championship, the Italian rider was already being courted by Ducati who wanted him to join their stable in 2009. Simoncelli reported he even refused $ 1.000.000 to ride for them stating that he wanted to try to win a second World Championship title.

On Sunday, during Italia 1 show Fuori Giri that airs right after the MotoGP race and has in-depth interviews and guests, Ducati team manager Livio Suppo, without beating around the bush asked outright Simoncelli to ride for them.

“SuperSic was great, he rode like a God. Marco wouldn’t you like to ride our bike next year? You’re always in our hearts, we have to talk …” declared an almost adoring Suppo to Simoncelli who was sitting in the studio.

Simoncelli is ready to move to MotGP next year as is Spanish rider Alvaro Bautista and both riders are receiving various offers. One of these is from Yamaha Tech 3, who seem ready to put out to pasture Colin Edwards and send James Toseland back to WSBK and sign Simoncelli and maybe Superbike sensation Ben Spies.

Other rumors say that Honda is extremely interested in Simoncelli and that is even ready to line up a seventh bike on the grid, with no distinction between factory and satellite bikes. Speculation has it that they could even set up a one rider team for the Italian just like the Scot Racing team with Takahashi.

Silly season has already begun.

Source | sportmediaset

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Retired three times SBK Champion Troy Bayliss completed his first day of testing of Desmosedici GP9 at Mugello yesterday alongside test rider Vittoriano Guareschi. It was a first time that Bayliss got back on a MotoGP bike after his sensational win at Valencia back in 2006.

Last year Ducati tried to line up Bayliss and Max Biaggi test ride the GP8 in order to to find out why their struggling riders (Melandri, Elias and Guintoli) were languishing near the back of the grid. The proposal fell through when Bayliss declined saying that his priority was winning his 3rd title and Biaggi was injured and had to beg off.

Having Bayliss test ride this year’s Ducati and the GP10, Livio Suppo is hoping that some of the feedback will help this year’s struggling riders and find out why they’re not doing at least the same times as pre-season testing and that Preziosi render the GP10 a rider friendly bike or they may not find someone willing to ride the red missile from Borgo Panigale.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss on the Ducati Desmosedici GP9

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The Ducati Marlboro MotoGP team is traveling this time to Malaysia for the next round of the championship. Livio Suppo, the MotoGP Director from the Ducati Team is hopeful to get good results, Ducati’s winter test went well and Casey and Marco both have good past records at the track.

Casey Stoner, 2nd in the championship on 245 points gives his preview: “Over the last few rounds we’ve managed to set a good pace in all of the dry practice sessions and struggled a little bit in the wet. We think we found a good wet setting in Australia so unless there’s an unexpected problem that crops up we should be okay for any conditions at Sepang. I like the track and I’ve got good memories because I’ve won there in every category - 125cc, 250cc (2004 and 2005) and MotoGP. The track is a good mix, there are some fast corners with a lot of lean angle and some tight ones that aren’t much fun. We’ll give our best to finish the season in a positive way, with some good results, although to be honest my mind is on the test at the end of the season at Valencia, when we can start to work on the new Desmosedici.”

Teammate, the Italian Marco Melandri, 16th in the championship and with 51 points said: “The last few races have been really difficult and I’m obviously disappointed because I wanted to end the season with a run of decent results. Anyway, the only way thing to do is to consider each race as an individual event and start from zero. So I’ll try to do that in Malaysia, where I had a good race last year and finished on the podium.”

source | ducati

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Casey Stoner won with his Ducati Desmosedici Phillip Island round before Yamaha rider and new World Champion Valentino Rossi.

Casey on his victory: “This weekend has been a bit like the whole season -up and down! Thankfully it’s finished on a high and it’s a great feeling to win my home Grand Prix in front of all these wonderful fans, with my family here too. It’s been a great year for me and even though we haven’t won the title I feel proud of our achievements. If we can battle for the championship again next year that would be great but for now I’m just going to enjoy winning my home GP.”

Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP Project Director said about Casey and the victories: “Casey was fantastic and he truly deserved to win here at Phillip Island. Today’s victory is really very special and comes after a few difficult races for him. I am very happy that he has been successful here of all places, in front of his fans. And it is also the best way for us to celebrate our one hundredth race in MotoGP.”

The statistics: It’s the 5th victory of the season for Casey, the 2nd in a row at Phillip Island and the 15th in his name. For Ducati 100th MotoGP race since the start in the Championship in 2003. Ducati claimed 58 podiums with 23 of the victories and 22 pole positions. In 2007 Ducati claimed the Riders and the Constructors Title.

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A win for Valentino Rossi at the Grand Prix of Japan has allowed Rossi to clinch his sixth MotoGP World championship title. “Scusate il ritardo” or in English “sorry for the delay” was the phrase written on his t-shirt referring to the two years wait to regain the Championship title.

Valentino Rossi has said about his new Championship title: “I think it’s difficult to say, but maybe this is even better than the first Championship with Yamaha in 2004. In 2004 I arrived after three championships in a row; the change was very big and no one expected me to win then, not even us to be honest! But this year is great too because I didn’t start as the number one favourite after losing for two years. The taste of this is something special.”

About the technical changes he said: “The decision to change to Bridgestone tyres, which I took together with Jeremy, my team and all the crew, was very important, as were the changes to the bike because the first 800cc M1 last year was not competitive enough. We spoke a lot during last season and I remember a strange meeting in Valencia last year, me with a broken hand, speaking with Furusawa about 2008. From then we started to work on the improvements for this season.”

Continue reading: Valentino Rossi: New World champion MotoGP 2008

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In the latest press release distributed by Ducati Corse today, Casey Stoner and Livio Suppo are talking about the coming Indianapolis race and Casey’s injury.

In Stoner’s opinion: “Obviously I’m not happy with the results of the last few races. We have proved that we are consistently fast but that clearly isn’t enough. I know that I have got the support of a great team and a bike I have a great feeling with. I’m going to try to enjoy riding it over the final few races, which all take place at circuits I like a lot. I also have to think about the scaphoid that we thought had healed back in 2003 but is still giving me problems. For the time being I have to deal with it but we’re talking to the doctors about what to do with it in the future. I can’t wait to go back to America and race at Indianapolis, a circuit nobody knows but where I am sure our bikes and tyres will work just as well as they have done at the last few races.”

Livio Suppo, Ducati MotoGP project director talks about Casey’s injury: “We’re hoping that the problems he had with his wrist at Misano don’t prevent him from riding at his maximum this weekend. Casey underwent a CAT scan last week, which showed that the scaphoid he fractured and had operated on back in 2003 has never completely healed.With the support of a pool of doctors over the last weeks, Casey will decide if another operation is going to be necessary.”

Twowheels hopes Casey can wait a while before being operated and can give us all a thrilling Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix!

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Sete Gibernau wants to return to MotoGP and he hopes to return to Ducati, possibly in the Ducati satellite team?

Ducati has just confirmed it can supply five bikes in MotoGP. With the impending introduction of a one-make tyre rule, Ducati could scrap its test team and use the bike in competition. Perhaps a new team is born.

Factory team boss Livio Suppo told MCN a deal could be finalised for a fifth bike and even this week, he said: “For the fifth bike we will know more next week. Things are moving and for the rider line-up I am hoping within the next week will have a clearer understanding.”

So, let’s wait a few days more and we will know more about the return from Sete Gibernau, if Nieto will sign and if Toni Elias will stay at the Ducati Alice team after his latest podiums during the last races!

Via | MCN

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