With four days of pre-season testing at Sepang already over, MotoGP will be heading to Qatar on March 18-19 for the final two days of tests, before the new season kicks off at Losail for the night race that takes place on the weekend of April 11th .

Here’s what the riders had to say about today’s final day of testing in Sepang.

Valentino Rossi - 1st : 2′00.271 Laps: 39

“I’m really happy to have beaten my pole record, it’s a good feeling to be this fast in testing. I did this with an old tyre but we also got the chance to try a very good new tyre from Bridgestone today, which I hope we will use from the first race. Our bike is in great shape; we need to do a bit more work on the electronics but in general everything is better, especially the rear grip and the engine. Yamaha have been very clever to develop this new bike whilst keeping the best parts of the old one, I’m very happy about it. It was good to get the chance to try the Japanese test bike, hopefully the feedback I gave them will help us in the future. Now we go to Qatar and then we will see our level because it is not one of mine or Yamaha’s best tracks! But we’re in great shape and this is very important at this stage of the season. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang 2 - Final Day Rider Quotes

Valentino Rossi and his M1 led once again the final day of testing in Sepang. The rider from Tavullia who dominated both official pre-season tests in Sepang, put in a scorching best lap of 2’00.271 shattering his 2009 qualifying pole position on the Malaysian track by 0.247s seconds.

Casey Stoner continued to stalk Rossi, with his 2’00.512, but the biggest surprise of the day was Ducati’s factory rider Nicky Hayden in third with his GP10, who put in a best lap of 2’00.703, axing off a massive 1.5 seconds from yesterday and ending up less than two tenths from team mate Stoner.

The Yamaha Tech 3 duo, Colin Edwards and Ben Spies switched positions from yesterday. The Texas Tornado posted a best lap of 2’00.988 putting him in the fourth slot and the last rider under the 2’01” mark, while the Texas Terror’s best time was 2’01.014. This puts three Yamaha riders in the top five spots and 2009 runner-up and Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo wasn’t present due to his hand injury.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang 2 Tests - Rossi on Top Again and Breaks Own Qualifying Record

Check out this video of a very down to earth Nicky Hayden chilling out in his garage with Greg White from SpeedTV after a bike training session.

The Ducati rider shows us his arm before taking out the stitches, talks Ducati GP10, new rules and just jokes around with the interviewer and his brother Tommy.

Hayden will be in Malaysia for the Sepang 2 official tests that start Wednesday (test riders only) and the official riders will be on track on Thursday and Friday.

Source | 2wheeltuesday

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden in his Garage (w/video)

Being a professional rider and a former World Champion isn’t always winning, podiums, and fantastic racing and adoring fans as Ducati’s Nicky Hayden well knows. Sometimes it’s hurting, injuries, surgery, stitches and getting back in shape again as fast as you can.

Hayden finally had his stitches taken out after a clean up procedure following arm pump surgeryand announced it on his Twitter page with “Stiches just out back in the saddle for Malaysia2 test in T-4 days….. Yeay buddy!!! and posted this pic to go with it.

Jorge Lorenzo also had his stitches removed after his motorcross accident and he too announced it via Twitter the other day with a “Prueba superada, ya me han quitado los puntos de la mano!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ” (passed test, they’ve removed the stitches from my hand).

What can we say except, get well soon guys and could you teach us your secrets in healing so fast?

Source | nickyhaydentwitter

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden's Arm after Surgery and Stitches

Ducati’s Nicky Hayden is the latest of riders who has gone under the doctor’s knife. Hayden needed a clean-up procedure to remove scar tissue from his right arm from an arm pump (the bane of professional riders) operation that he underwent in November.

Hayden’s surgery was carried out in Doctor Angel Vilamor’s clinic in Madrid, Spain immediately after the recent tests in Sepang, but unlike FIAT Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, the American rider luckily will not miss out on the upcoming tests that take place February 25th and 26th, always at the Sepang circuit.

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Undergoes Surgery

Here’s a last video of the combined Ducati/Ferrari teams Wrooom 2010 launch at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort.

Besides a mini ski race where even beginner Nicky Hayden who isn’t exactly a snow lover got into the act. The riders and drivers then faced off in a pair of exhibition ice races on a specially prepared ice course in the center of town.

The first was on Fiat 4×4 Pandas that was won by Formula 1 driver Felippe Massa, but Casey Stoner who would like to switch to V8 supercars when he retires, came in second with Nicky Hayden third.

The second race was on shifter go-karts with spiked wheels where Nicky Hayden strutted his talent dominating the entire race and lapping the entire field and beating Brazilian F1 driver Felippe Massa. New Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso was unable to finish after he crashed into the barriers.

Continue reading: Wrooom 2010: Skiing, Car and Kart Racing

Here’s the first video from Ducati’s 2010 Wrooom in Madonna di Campiglio in the heart of the Italian Dolomite mountains.

The event has officially opened today with Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden arriving and then taking to the mountains for a little R&R with skiing and snowboarding thrown in.

Tomorrow will see press conferences with the two Ducati MotoGP Team riders and the official presentation to the international press of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 (and not Nicky’s Hayden pic of the bike).

Continue reading: Ducati Wrooom 2010 Takes Off (w/video)

Remember Nicky Hayden posting on his personal website the photo of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 and that it hit every motorcycle website in the world?

Well if you head over to Hayden’s website you’ll find that the photo has been removed and according to good old boy Nicky, he also got a scolding from Ducati for posting the photo.

In an exclusive interview with Steve Atlas of Motorcycle Usa.com one of the questions that came up was about that so called “revealing” photo and here’s the excerpt:

MCUSA: A photo of the 2010 Ducati MotoGP bike that you snapped on your phone and put on your website has been making the rounds and causing some turmoil. Did you get in trouble for posting that?

HAYDEN: (Laughs) Yeah. Yeah I did. I was just excited when I was over there doing some sponsor stuff and I figured everybody had basically seen the bike at the Valencia test already so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I made a mistake and shouldn’t have put it up, but heck, it didn’t have any of the logos and everyone has seen it already. But, yeah, I got it a bit of trouble and I’m sorry about that one. Not too bad though. Ain’t like I’m putting engine blueprints online or something, ya know..

You can read the rest of the interview with Hayden here.

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Admits Being Scolded for GP10 Pic

You’ve just got to love the innocence of Nicky Hayden, most manufacturers try to keep, be it new models of cars or motorcycles, under tight wraps until the official unveiling where they can get oohs and ahhs of the press and fans around the world.

Hayden who was in Ducati’s HQ last week took this photo of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 or as the American calls it “my 2010 weapon” with his cell phone and posted it on his personal website, thus revealing the GP10 well before Ferrari ’s and Ducati’s combined Wrooom official presentation of their new machines.

You can check out the slight differences in the fairing from what Stoner and Hayden tested during the Valencia tests in November and how it looks from Nicky’s shot from last week, but remember what really counts is what is under that red fairing.

Source | nickyhayden.com via gpone

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Shows Us the Ducati GP10

Nicky Hayden besides finding one of the most tiredless and hardest working MotoGP riders in the world is also an excellent man to do Ducati PR work. After seeing the new Ducati D16 GP 10 bike at the Ducati factory on Wednesday, today Hayden was in India to open Ducati’s second show room in the Gurgaon District of the Indian capital.

Ducati has a distribution agreement with Precision Motor India Private Limited and Radiant Motorcycles, who is also a dealer for Porsche in Mumbai.

“This event has made me understand the great strategic importance of a market such as India.” Nicky Hayden commented. “It’s great potential and above all, how well Ducati and MotoGP is known, appreciated and how the company is capable of attracting passionate fans, both from a commercial and sporting point of view. I am happy that there is such great interest in us and such anticipation ahead of next season. Last year, after a difficult start, we made continuous improvement towards the end and after the Valencia tests I am very excited for next year and can’t wait to get back on my Ducati.”

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Opens Ducati Showroom in India

Nicky Hayden visited the Ducati factory in Bologna this Wednesday to check up on the developments of the new Desmosedici GP10 and to have a little Christmas party with the Ducati Corse staff.

The spumante we don’t have to explain, and for those who don’t know about Italian customs those things on the table that are covered with icing sugar are called Pandoro. It’s one of the two traditional Italian cakes for Christmas, the other is the Panettone, and both contain about a million calories per bite.

Here’s what Hayden wrote on his personal website about his visit:

“Here are a few photos from my visit to DucatiI came by yesterday to check in with the fellas and to see my new weapon for the 2010 racing season. There are a lot of changes that have gone on at Ducati in the last bit, but the one thing that never changes is the passion.”

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Parties at Ducati HQ

Casey Stoner took the top spot in today’s half day of testing at Valencia (to make room for the Ferrari Festa) with a best time of 1.31.899, that bettered Jorge Lorenzo yesterday’s top spot that was 1.31.939. Dani Pedrosa was second, continuing to get used to his Ohlin forks. Only 12 MotoGP riders were on track today with all the Yamaha riders having packed up yesterday as did LCR Honda’s Randy DePuniet.

Nicky Hayden has been having positive tests, was third, but the Kentucky Kid is still one second off his Ducati team mate best time.

Andrea Dovizioso bettered yesterday’s time, despite a cracked bone in his hip, as did Marco Melandri. Team Gresini to distinguish the two Marco’s having taken to calling them Tall Marco (Simoncelli) and Short Marco (Melandri)

Toni Elías, who still has to been contracted with Gresini’s Moto2 Team, has been testing their Moriwaki Moto2 prototype along with Shogo Moriwaki, Mamoru Moriwaki’s son. Also working with Moto2 bikes were Ratthapark Wilairot, Héctor Faubel and Scott Redding ,Axel Pons on the Pons Kalex, Joan Olivé and Kenny Noyes with Promoracing.

Continue reading: MotoGP Valencia Tests Day 3 – Casey Stoner on top again