On Monday morning Nicky Hayden underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on the right shoulder that he had injured in late December in a pre-season training accident. The 40 minute procedure was carried out in Fremont, California by Dr Arthur Ting who discovered and repaired a tear in the labrum.

Yesterday’s post-operation appointment confirmed that the surgery was successful, and the Ducati Team rider could return home to begin his recovery.

“It’s a setback, but all things considered, I’m pretty happy with how things went,” Hayden said. “It’s good that it was possible to do everything by ’scope, and the pain’s not too bad. The problem should be fixed now, and I look forward to being able to help out the team as soon as possible.”

If the convalescence proceeds as hoped, Hayden should be able to take part in the next winter test at Sepang, February 28-March 1.

Ducati team mate Valentino Rossi also underwent surgery on Monday to have a rod removed from the leg he broke at Mugello in 2010, and buddy ‘Uccio’ tweeted an update on Rossi’s conditions saying that his friend has a little pain where the stitches are but everything is okay and in a couple of days he’ll be able to put some weight on the leg.

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Nicky Hayden thought he had escaped surgery after breaking his shoulder when he crashed during a pre-season training accident at the end of December, instead after experiencing some serious shoulder pain during the three day test at Sepang that hampered his testing of the new Ducati GP12, the American rider decided to check out his condition and flew directly to Fremont, California, for a thorough examination at Doctor Arthur Ting’s clinic.

There, tests revealed damage to cartilage in the American’s shoulder, as well as to muscles in his back. Tomorrow the Ducati Team rider will undergo an operation in order to have his condition evaluated more thoroughly, and to treat his injuries.

“Of course another operation before the season is never a good thing,” Hayden said, “but I’m actually happy that I tried to ride at Malaysia, because it helped me to discover that the problem with the shoulder was bigger than we thought. After seeing the scans, it was clear why I couldn’t ride well. Setbacks are a part of life and a part of MotoGP, so we’ll deal with it and do everything possible to get back on the bike in good condition as soon as possible. Ducati and the team are putting maximum effort into this championship, and that helps me to keep my spirits high and to be confident heading into the season.”

Having to undergo surgery will mean that Hayden will not be able to be present at Jerez in two weeks time for a Ducati private test. The next official MotoGP test is scheduled from February 28th to March 1st at Sepang.

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Ducati’s aim during this final day of testing at Sepang was to be within a second from their rivals, which didn’t exactly happen as Valentino Rossi finished 1.2 seconds adrift and in fifth spot, but that was also due to the fact that Casey Stoner set the new record, but the Italian managed to improve 1.568 seconds over the three days.

It may not seem much compared to the Honda’s and Yamaha’s, but considering that the GP12 got its first real test with the factory riders at Sepang and had no big technical problems, something that Filippo Preziosi was afraid of with a new bike, the Ducati team left Sepang seemingly happy that both Rossi and Nicky Hayden seem happy and confident.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 5th, 2:00.824 (42 laps)

“We on the team are all happy with how this test has gone, especially today. With a 2:00.8, we’re starting to get to a decent time. The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point. The most positive things we’ve achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I’m able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what’s still missing. In particular, if we manage to improve the bike’s behaviour on acceleration, we’ll be able to take a consistent step forward. I know that the work has never stopped at Ducati, and now with the information we’ve gathered, they’ll keep working on the areas that we’ve identified. That might take a while, but there’s still some time before the first race. We have to keep improving, so we’re not getting too excited, but I’m pleased with how things have gone so far.”

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th, 2:01.729 (19 laps)

“Obviously, I’d like to have done more. I can’t really say it was a real test for me, but I did a few laps each morning in order to at least get a feel for the new bike, get a little data and understand a couple of things. Even in that limited time, I was able to make small improvements and go quicker each day. Ducati did an amazing job with this bike in a short amount of time. It’s smoother than any other Ducati I’ve ever ridden, it looks slick and it’s good to work on. It’s got good power, and the front end is working well, but with the extra power, now we’ve got to find better rear traction at the first touch of the throttle. With the few adjustments we’ve made, everything seems to be going in a good way, so now I just need to get healthy.”

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Valentino Rossi still remains positive despite dropping back to the sevent spot in today’s second day of testing at Sepang, reporting that he’s following the work program that was set-up by his team and that’s why he did very short runs today.

The Italian also stated that 50% of the problems they had in 2011 have already been solved including corner entry and braking but they’re still working on the electronics package and tomorrow will start also start testing the new Bridgestone tires.

Nicky Hayden was forced to stop after sixteen laps due hampered by pain in his injured left shoulder that he sustained in a pre-season training accident, with test rider Franco Battaini taking his place and in tomorrow’s final day of testing Hayden will try to ride a few laps.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 7th, 2:01.886 (44 laps)

“It was another positive day, both because we achieved our goal of lapping at 2:01 and because we managed to make further progress with the bike’s setup. On the other hand, as is normal with a brand-new bike like the GP12, as we progress with our tests we also find other details that can’t be addressed with setup alone and that will therefore have to be perfected in the coming weeks. We had already identified those areas yesterday, acceleration and electronics, and we confirmed the progress made with the front end. Honda and Yamaha have been working on their bikes for a year, while we’ve just had two days, which makes our job particularly challenging, but we already knew that as well. Tomorrow will be important as well because we’ll be able to make an overall assessment of the three days, and we’ll have a clearer idea of where we stand compared to the others. If we manage to stay under one second from the top, I’ll be happy.”

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th, 2:02.354 (16 laps)

“I was okay when I first went out this morning, and on my second lap I managed to make a pretty decent step from yesterday. After that I lost strength in the shoulder and wasn’t really able to ride fast or consistently enough to test much. I’m okay under braking because I can lock my shoulder out, but when the bike shakes I don’t have enough strength to hold on. I didn’t want to crash and cause bigger problems, so I just decided to chill out. It’s a bit of a bummer, but that’s how it goes sometimes. They’ve done a great job with the new bike, and you can see just from looking at it that it’s really slick. I just wish I could ride it closer to the edge and really see what it does and how it reacts to changes. Maybe I’ll do a few more exits tomorrow, but that’s about it.”

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During last week’s Ducati & Ferrari Wrooom event, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden has time to comment on the 2011 Moto2 champion Stefan Bradl who will be debuting in MotoGP this season.

Bradl who tested the LCR Honda 800cc at Valencia, will finally be getting the chance to test for the first time his new 2012 bike, the RC213V in the upcoming Sepang tests, and Rossi talking about the German champion said, “Bradl will have to adapt to MotoGP in his first year, but he is a very intelligent rider and he’ll show his talent” and the added jokingly “hopefully he’ll be slower than I am.”

While Ducati team mate Nicky Hayden talked about his debut in MotoGP back in 2003, saying that Bradl will adapt easily considering that he comes from the GP paddock, “When I arrived in GP racing in 2003 I was very young and didn’t have have any experience at an international level. He [Bradl] comes from the paddock, knows the tracks and the people and this will help him. It’s always good to have new riders in MotoGP and I’m curious to see how they’ll fare. It’s also important to have a German rider as MotoGP is very popular in Germany and at the Sachsenring circuit there’s always a lot of fans, so I’m happy to go back there.”

Bradl has already stated his objectives for the 2012 season, “I’d like to close the first half of the season between 7th and 9th and then in the top five. My long term goal is the title and that would be the top.

Source | motograndprix.com

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Ducati has put together this cute little video of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden having some fun on the snow covered Dolomite mountains during this week’s 2012 Vrooom at Madonna di Campiglio.

Riding around on a snowmobile, some fake snowboarding action done by professionals (Nicky is still recovering from his injuries, and while snowboarding is one of Rossi’s favourite off-season sports, we doubt Ducati would have allowed him to do the stunts) and riding a Ducati Desmosedici with studded tires.

While it may not be as entertaining as Yamaha USA’s videos, Ducati is definitely improving on this front, so enjoy.

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The 2012 Wrooom event at Madonna di Campiglio ended last night with a victory for Valentino Rossi, albeit it was in the traditional ice kart race.

The Ducati rider beat Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella, but in the Fiat 500 race Massa beat Rossi, with the Italian finishing ahead of Alonso who took third. Nicky Hayden who is still nursing his injured shoulder and ribs let Rossi’s friend, Alessio ‘Uccio’ Salucci, take his place in both races and finishing last in both races.

“It was really fantastic,” said Rossi. “I practice a lot with karts in the summer, and it was great to drive on the ice, especially because it was much colder this time than it was last year, so the track held up well. Felipe (Massa) was faster than I was, but anyway, it was a great night. I enjoyed myself.

The new Ducati GP12 will be undergoing more testing next week at Jerez in the capable hands of World Superbike champion Carlos Checa and test rider Franco Battaini before being shipped to Sepang for the first official MotoGP test of the 2012 season that starts January 31st.

Continue reading: Valentino Rossi beats Ferrari drivers in ice kart race

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Today was a free day for Ducati riders at the Wrooom event and Valentino Rossi took the opportunity to take the Ducati Desmosedici especially equipped with studded tires for a spin on a snow covered road at Madonna di Campiglio.

The Italian gingerly tried out the bike by himself (you can check out a brief video that friend Uccio posted on his Twitter account) gaining some confidence and then team mate Nicky Hayden, who is recovering from his fractured scapula, decided he wanted to feel the sensation of a MotoGP bike on the snow and rode pillion.

This isn’t the first time that a D16 has been used at Madonna di Campiglio, Vittoriano Guareschi used the GP7 at the ice rink during the 2008 Vrooom.

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The 22nd annual ddition of Ferrari and Ducati’s Wrooom Press Ski Meeting to launch the 2012 season officially kicked off tonight in the usual snow topped mountain resort of Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden posed with Ducati’s new Superbike, the Panigale 1199 with the Tricolore livery instead of the Ducati GP12, as the Desmosedici will not be presented at the event and will be revealed only at the MotoGP tests at Sepang on January 31st.

Tomorrow the two Ducati riders will face the press, and on Wednesday it will be Filippo Preziosi and Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari Team Principal) under the spotlights for their press briefs. Thursday it will be Ferrari drivers turn. The event will conclude on Friday, with the spectacular kart and auto exhibition with the riders and drivers on the town’s frozen lake, but we think that Nicky Hayden will be sitting this exhibition out as he’s still recovering from his recently fractured scapula and broken ribs, and is expected to make decision at the end of next week to see if he’ll be able to test at Sepang.

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After breaking his scapula and ribs in a training accident on December 27th, Nicky Hayden underwent further assessment by Dr. Dr. Arthur Ting in California yesterday to determine whether he would require surgery to fix his scapula and confirmed via Twitter that he will not be needing it.

“Good check up at the Doc. No surgery needed” At the present it is unknown whether Hayden will be present at Ducati’s and Ferrari’s annual Vrooom event that takes place at Madonna del Campiglio from January 9th to al 14th or whether he’ll be in good enough shape to take part in the Sepang MotoGP tests at the end of January.

Photo Source | nickyhayden69#twitter.com

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Nicky Hayden was still recovering from his scaphoid surgery when on Tuesday, December 27, he broke his left scapula and fractured two ribs while training near his home in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Hayden was training at a private indoor flat track facility, riding a motorcycle for the first time since breaking his scaphoid at the Valencia Grand Prix on November 6. He underwent an X-ray and CAT scan on the same day he was injured, and he has since undergone an MRI.

At the moment, there are no plans for surgery, but Hayden will have the scapula reassessed next week by Dr. Arthur Ting in Fremont, California, to see how his fracture is progressing. According to the healing process, the next few weeks will determine whether Hayden will take part in the first winter test session of 2012, which will begin on January 31 in Sepang, Malaysia.

“Obviously, injuries are never good,” Hayden said, “but it’s part of motorcycle racing. Just like at Valencia, it was kind of a freak accident. I was starting to train again, like I normally do during the winter, at a private track near my house. I came up behind another rider, and he went to move out of the way. I wasn’t going that fast, but he clipped my front wheel and I went down and landed pretty hard on my left shoulder, and that was it. It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing to do about it but heal quickly. Anyway, this doesn’t change my expectations for 2012 which, fortunately, is just around the corner.”

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If you’ve got to launch a motorcyle in unmistakable style you go the Hollywood premier route. An A-club night club like Drai’s in L.A, the red carpet, the best Italian wine and bubbly spumante, hot looking models parading around in the lastest motorcycle fashion garments and on center stage the Ducati 1199 Panigale.

Voted the Most Beautiful Bike earlier last week at the EICMA show, Ducati had the always available Nicky Hayden - who is recovering from his recent scaphoid surgery - doing the unveiling of Italy’s latest and most powerful Superbike.

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