Stoner to make 100th MotoGP start

Casey Stoner is intended to make his 100th MotoGP start in this Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

During his 99 grands prix to date, the recently crowned double world champion has won 32 races, ended on the podium 58 times, taken 33 poles and 27 fastest laps.

Here are some of the highlights and milestones of Stoner's profession in the Moto GP class:

Race 1 2006/Spain/Jerez - 6th place

Finishes 6th in his debut race on a MotoGP machine riding a Honda for the LCR team.

Race 2 2006/Qatar/Losail – 5th place

Qualifies on pole in just his second start in MotoGP to become the second youngest rider of all-time to start from pole in the premier-class; the only rider to start from pole at a younger age is Freddie Spencer.

Race 3 2006/Turkey/Istanbul – 2nd place

Finishes on the podium in his third MotoGP start to happen to the youngest Australian rider to finish on the podium in the premier-class.

Race 6 2006/Italy/Mugello - DNF

Suffers his first race crash riding a MotoGP machine.

Race 17 2007/Qatar/Losail – 1st place

Wins in his first race for Ducati to become the youngest Australian to win in premier-class and also the first Australian rider to win in 125cc, 250cc and premier-class.

Race 22 2007/Italy/Mugello – 4th place

Starts from pole for the first time since joining the Ducati factory team.

Race 23 2007/Catalan/Barcelona – 1st place

With this win in Catalunya Stoner becomes the first rider to win four times in one season on a Ducati.

Race 27 2007/USA/Laguna Seca – 1st place

Wins from pole and topped all 4 practice sessions to become the first non-American rider to win at Laguna Seca in the MotoGP era.

Race 29 2007/San Marino/Misano – 1st place

Wins three successive races for the first time and is the first to do so on a European manufactured bike since Agostini in 1972.

Race 31 2007/Japan/Motegi – 6th place

Becomes the youngest rider to win the premier-class world title since Freddie Spencer in 1983 and the first to win the title on a Ducati.

Race 32 2007/Australia/Phillip Island – 1st place

Wins at home in Australia for the first time.

Race 33 2007/Malaysia/Sepang – 1st place

Takes tenth win of the year.

Race 35 2008/Qatar/Losail – 1st place

Wins the first ever MotoGP race to take place at night under floodlights.

Race 39 2008/France/Le Mans – 16th place

Suffers mechanical problems during the race and fails to score points for first time riding a Ducati.

Race 46 2008/Czech/Brno - DNF

Crashes out of the race on the seventh lap while leading - his first non-finish on a Ducati.

Race 47 2008/San Marino/Misano - DNF

Qualifies on pole for the seventh successive race - the longest sequence of successive poles in the MotoGP era.

Race 53 2009/Qatar/Losail – 1st place

Wins the opening race of year for the third successive season.

Race 57 2009/Italy/Mugello – 1st place

Gives Ducati their first ever premier-class win at the Italian Grand Prix.

Race 78 2010/Aragon – 1st place

Wins the first MotoGP race to be held at the new Aragon circuit.

Race 81 2010/Australia/Phillip Island – 1st place

Wins his home GP at Phillip Island for the fourth successive year. This was Stoner's last win on a Ducati.

Race 83 2010/Valencia/Ricardo Tormo – 2nd place

Qualifies on pole and finishes second on last race for Ducati.

Race 84 2011/Qatar/Losail – 1st place

Qualifies pole and wins first race for the Repsol Honda team.

Race 85 2011/Spain/Jerez - DNF

Is taken out of the race by Rossi – the only non-podium finish since joining the Honda factory team.

Race 89 2011/Great Britain/Silverstone – 1st place

With this win at Silverstone, Stoner is the first Honda rider to win three successive MotoGP races since Rossi in 2003. This win gives him the lead in the world championship classification.

Race 93 2011/USA/Laguna Seca – 1st place

Wins for the 5th time in 2011 – the highest number of wins by a Honda rider during the 800cc era of MotoGP.

Race 98 2011/Japan/Motegi – 3rd place

Starts on pole for the tenth time in 2011 - a new record for most pole positions in a season during the MotoGP era.

Race 99 2011/Australia/Phiilip Island – 1st place

Qualifies on pole for the eleventh time in 2011, wins race and second world title.

Pedrosa: I want to take pleasure in the bike

Dani Pedrosa heads into the second-half of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship looking to make the best of his condition following his inspiring ride to victory at the Sachsenring over the weekend.

In only his second race back from injury, one that ruled him out of three races to all but scupper his title ambitions, Pedrosa was champion in Germany, boosting his confidence heading to Laguna Seca for the United States Grand Prix this weekend.

Indeed, the Spaniard feels the pressure is off for him now, enabling him to enjoy his racing, not least at Laguna Seca where he was a winner in 2009 and was in argument for victory last season when he crashed out.

Even so, the Repsol Honda rider feels the circuit's characteristics will mean he struggles extra than he did in Germany

"It was nice to stop, even for if only for couple of days at home to enjoy the win in Germany with my family and friends, who also deserved to celebrate.

“The United States Grand Prix will be another challenge for me. I know that I will suffer more in Laguna Seca because there are many hard braking areas and very fast direction changes. Anyway, it will be another race and I'll try to get ready well and enjoy it as I did in Sachsenring.

“The track is very different to the European circuits and the atmosphere there is special. With the exemption of last year, when I crashed, and in 2008 when I couldn't race due to injury, I've forever had fun racing in Laguna and the victory in 2009 was very exciting.

“In the second half of the season I want to enjoy the bike and gain the best results probable and would like to close the first part of the season with a good feeling.”

Edwards and Crutchlow focused for German round

Experienced American Colin Edwards is looking to merge his place inside the top 10 in the overall rankings having scored points in six of the seven races he has started in 2011. Edwards is also resolute to leave Europe full of confidence ahead of his crucial home round at the spectacular and challenging Laguna Seca track in California on July 24th. His best result at Sachsenring was fourth position in 2007 and he is confident in improving and handling the performance from the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 this season will be a vital advantage in dealing with the demands of the 2.281 mile track.

This weekend presents an additional big challenge for British rookie Cal Crutchlow, who will be making his Sachsenring debut. The 25 year-old is concentrating all his efforts on lively back from difficult races in Assen and Mugello recently and is aiming for a welcome come back to the top 10. Sachsenring is the shortest track on the World Championship schedule but surely one of the most challenging, the undulating layout made up of predominantly left-hand corners.

Colin Edwards:

“The last two races haven't been that fantastic but we can point to a bad tyre choice in both for that. We've got to take some liability for that but sometimes you roll the dice and gamble but the result doesn't go your way. That's all after me now and I'm just concentrating 100 per cent on getting a good result in Germany this weekend. This track is pretty extraordinary with so many left-hand turns but our chassis is much better than last year, so I'm sure the bike will be easier to ride in the tight and twisty sections. The break after Mugello has really helped my corporal condition. I've been able to get some good rest and the muscle damage about the ribs on the right side of my body isn't as painful as it was. I'll only understand how much of an improvement there's been on Friday when I get on the bike, but I'm expecting a lot less uneasiness than in Mugello where it was quite tough. Aside from 2003 when I had the fireball at the bottom of the hill, I've really enjoyed my time at Sachsenring. The German fans are really well-informed and they love MotoGP, so hopefully we can put on a good show for them. I'll be looking for a good result to take some energy into my home race at Laguna Seca, which is a huge weekend for me and one I'm already thrilled about.”

Cal Crutchlow:

"Like a lot of tracks so far in 2011, I haven't seen this one before but it looks in fact good on TV and I can't wait to get started on Friday. The track is obviously conquered by left-hand turns but I'm not worried that is going to be a big problem for me. The left collarbone I broke at Silverstone last month is fine and I'm happy with the development it is making. After all the weather disruptions of the last few weeks, I'm just hoping for a dry weekend so I can learn the track faster. And I'm also hoping for hot conditions because that will give me an opportunity to resolve some of the front-end issues I've been experiencing lately. When the temperature is hot I've had some issues with front-end feeling, so hopefully some hot weather will give us the ideal opportunity to find a solution. I'm confident I can be running back inside the top ten and receiving the results I know that the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is capable of.”

Stoner races to glory in Spain

Casey Stoner sustained to hunt down defending champion Jorge Lorenzo, claiming his third win from five starts in the MotoGP series in Barcelona on Sunday.

The Australian passed the Spaniard on the opening lap of the Catalunya GP to take the lead from Lorenzo, tapering the gap at the top of the championship standings to just seven points.

The victory adds to Stoner's wins in Qatar and France previously this year.

And it seems the power of Stoner's Honda is starting to anxiety Yamaha rider Lorenzo, who admitted post-race he didn't feel he could have beaten the Australian.

"The key was the start - I made a superior start," Lorenzo said.

"But I knew Casey could pass me in a few laps. He made it, and when he made it I tried to hang about with him for the maximum laps possible.

"This race was very vital for me to finish and keep leading the championship.

"So I think we have done our goal."

Stoner was more disturbed by forecast wet weather than his rivals, relieved that light rain on the track didn't turn into an all-out downpour before the race finish.

"I was starting to get very tense," the 25-year-old said.

"There was more rain falling in some parts, and each lap you came by there was a little bit more or a little bit less and you didn't actually know which corner it was going to be raining heavily on.

"I didn't really know what pace to run, I didn't know how bad the conditions were.

"So I pretty much coordinated myself to the people behind, and it seemed to work. But it was a high pressure race and to stay at the front was a little bit nerve-wracking.

Roberts, Lawson to ride with fans at Laguna

Former 500cc World Champions Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson will contribute in a special fan-lap promotion flanked by practice and qualifying for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on Friday, July 22.

Up to 200 lucky fans will have the chance to ride with the multiple world champions for several laps around the world-renowned racetrack.

Roberts and Lawson will ride special YZF-R1's for the event in party of Yamaha's 50th Anniversary of grand prix road racing.

“This special fan opportunity is part of a weekend of partying that Yamaha has planned in honour of our 50th Anniversary Celebration of World GP Racing,” said Bob Starr, communication manager for Yamaha's motorsports group.

“This occurrence is just part of the surprises we have for MotoGP fans for the entire weekend!”

Stoner on track again with Honda 2012 prototype

The original plan was to have a one day test with Stoner and one with Pedrosa, however, due to the outcome of proceedings from last weekend in Le Mans with Dani's injury, HRC determined to complete one more day with Casey and test rider Ito Shinichi in order to finish the intended testing program.

With windy conditions and temperatures a little cooler than on Tuesday, Stoner ran 25 laps in the morning without any issues and Shinichi took over in the afternoon. HRC engineers were happy with the data acquired.

F1 leader Vettel wins Turkish Grand Prix

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel cruised to victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday, winning ahead of coworker Mark Webber to get bigger his lead in the Formula One standings.

The F1 champion, who has three victories this year, was never in problem at Istanbul Park after starting from the pole for the fourth successive race and winning by a contented 8.8 seconds.

"Throughout this race we had this cushion and were able to act, quite than react," the 23-year-old Vettel said. "We never really had anybody close at the back, which would have been a different situation."

Vettel leads McLaren's Lewis Hamilton by 34 points and Webber by 38.

"I think the day you start to think you are invincible is the day you get beaten, for sure," Vettel said. "There is always someone, at some point, who teaches you a lesson, who gives you a hard time and beats you."

Vettel is even less likely to get approved away after four races, given the championship went down to the final day last year.

"We saw how quickly these things changed last year; it was very close," Vettel said.

Rossi and Hayden leave Portugal satisfied with GP11

A long, intense day of testing following the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal allowed Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden to try various updates that were prepared by Ducati’s racing department.

The two Ducati Team riders concentrated mainly on finding a set-up with updates that were made to the frame, which both of them pronounced promising when the test was concluded.

After several runs spent finding a base set-up, Valentino Rossi consistently lapped in the 1’37” range. Nicky Hayden also liked the new chassis, and by the end of the day, he had dropped his time under 1’38”.

Valentino Rossi – 1’37.382 (82 laps)

“It was a positive test because the new updates were immediately better. The bike was more sensitive to changes made to the front, which makes it easier to work on a set-up that works better for me. I realised that as soon as I got on the bike and then, over the course of the following hours, we constantly progressed. We also had an engine with a slightly smoother power delivery that I liked a lot. We’ll start using it when the rotation plan allows it. I liked the tyres that Bridgestone had us try, they seemed very good. Of course the other riders also made great progress, and the least positive thing about today is the gap to the front on my best lap. Anyway, everything that the Ducati technicians brought worked, and that means that we’re on the right path. We have to continue working, but today’s test gives us confidence.”

Nicky Hayden – 1’37.463 (89 laps)

“We were lucky to get a really good day with the weather. We improved, because I consistently went a lot faster than in qualifying, but it looked like everybody else improved too. I did my best time on the 2012 tyres, so Bridgestone made a nice step there. I got on the updated chassis after lunch, and it had a better feel over some of the bumps, and still good stability under braking. The updated engine made the bike a little smoother, and I liked it overall.”

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Ducati Team duo hopeful for sunshine in Portugal

MotoGP series proceeds to action at a track that is very demanding and full of contrasts. Despite it having the lowly average speed of the tracks on the calendar, the Estoril circuit also includes very fast sections, counting one of the longest straight aways of the year.

Valentino Rossi has won five times in his eleven premier-class visits to the track, and he has ended on the podium on five other occasions, whilst the best result of his team-mate Nicky Hayden is a fourth place in 2007. The American will be looking to erect on his rostrum finish last time out in Jerez.

Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team

“We’ve had three weekends without a race so I was clever to unwind for a while following the GP12 test at Jerez, although I sustained training to help my physical recovery. Now we go to Estoril, a track I quite like, where we’ll carry on working on the GP11’s setup, particularly during the test on Monday. The conditions are often changeable at Estoril because the area is very windy and close to the ocean, making for variable weather. We saw at Jerez that we’re already spirited in the wet, however we’re hoping for sun in Portugal, so that we can make the most of our time on the track. We still have to understand the bike better and to work on the setup, with the goal of being faster in the dry in time for the mainly intense phase of the season, when we’ll have six races in eight weeks initial in June.”

Pedrosa eager to get back to exploit in Portugal

The Repsol Honda rider underwent a custom medical check on Monday, and gave an update on his recovery from his latest surgery in his blog.

Dani Pedrosa had a custom medical check on Monday to assess the status of his getting better left arm, following surgery a fortnight ago. The Repsol Honda rider – who cracked his left collarbone last October in Japan – had the titanium plate and screws fixed to the bone in the result of the injury removed following the Jerez round at the start of the month, after he had begun to skill a compression of his left subclavian artery.

Writing in his blog on Monday following a check-up, Pedrosa discussed the revival process following his surgery at the start of April. “The truth is that it went well and in the days that have followed I’ve familiar my custom to the recommendations made by the medical team, so that the recovery goes as well as it probably can. Today (Monday) I had a custom medical check and it seems that things are going well, even though we have to be cautious until I get back on the bike in Portugal.”

The Repsol Honda rider is now eager to get back on his RC212V and test out his fitness, although he will have to wait until the opening day’s practice at the bwin Grande Prémio de Portugal on April 29th.

“I’m eager and aggravated to return to competition to test the feeling I have on the bike, and to see if I can forget about these problems as soon as possible,” he continued. “The past few days I have been calming at home, getting in the rest recommended by the doctors. Even though a break in the calendar has coincided with the healing I have a lot of motivation to return to competitive fitness, operational with the team and above all getting on the bike.”

Rins, Torres, Barragán and Alarte win in CEV Buckler starter at Jerez

A incredible day of racing was witnessed at the Jerez Circuit on Sunday, where just two weeks after the MotoGP race the first surrounding of the 2011 CEV Buckler was attended by 15,500 spectators.

The day’s events got off to a spectacular start in the morning with a exciting Moto2 race, in which Jordi Torres won following an intense duel with his team-mate Carmelo Morales. The pair repeatedly swapped positions at the front of the race, and on the final lap Torres launched what was to be the deciding attack – one which Morales waited until the last turn to respond to but, due to a yellow flag following an accident, was unable to execute. The battle for third position was just as absorbing, with up to five riders fighting for the final spot on the podium. It was lastly taken by Iván Moreno, ahead of the experienced Japanese rider Tomoyoshi Koyama – making his Moto2 debut – American rider and Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion Jake Gagne, and Román Ramos.

Rossi 'sorry' for Stoner clash, lost chance

Valentino Rossi made a expensive mistake in Sunday's Spanish MotoGP at Jerez, which robbed the Italian of a possible first Ducati victory and knocked Casey Stoner out of the world championship lead.

Rossi, seventh on his Ducati debut in Qatar, was far more spirited in the wet Jerez conditions and quickly worked his way ahead from twelfth on the grid - after a crash in qualifying - to catch leaders Marco Simoncelli, Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo after 7 of the 27 laps.

The seven-time MotoGP champion exhausted no time in overtaking former Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo, putting him directly at the back new Repsol Honda rider Stoner, winner from pole in Qatar and on pole again at Jerez.

As the pair headed for turn one at the start of lap 8 Rossi abruptly pulled to the inside and made an unexpected move on Stoner from a long way back. Rossi later claimed he hadn't been trying to pass Stoner, but simply avoid him.

Either way, Rossi dived within Stoner and was half-a-bikelength ahead when his front Bridgestone cried enough and deserted him on the asphalt at the apex of the corner. Rossi and his sliding Desmosedici then wiped out the unfortunate Stoner.

Rossi and his bike came to rest with Stoner's RCV on top of them, but it was Rossi who was able to rejoin and in the end finish fifth in the crash-packed race, while Stoner was forced to retire.

The #46 apologised to Stoner straight after the race.

Later in the evening Rossi, who set the best lap of the race, explained the day's events from his point of view.

“Today in the wet we had a great possibility for me to make my first podium with Ducati, or even to get my first win,” Rossi admitted.

“I felt good, both with the bike and my shoulder, because I could brake where I required to rather than where I'm required to in the dry, since I still don't have the necessary strength.

“The bike is very fast in the wet. I was advancing really well, and I'm sorry to have made that error and thrown away such an opportunity.

Edwards: “We’ve got a good shot this year”

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was in high spirits following the second pre-season Test at Sepang last week.

Colin Edwards stopped up the Sepang Test in Malaysia last week in fine form, both on the track and off it. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was left flattering the overall presentation of the M1 and its off-season improvements, having enjoyed his three days of work.

Edwards spent the bulk of the Test configuring the chassis of his machine and came away extremely satisfied with an better front-end feeling, as well as a better corner exit and rear grip.

The American was also in certain mood about the 2011 season with the gap race in Qatar on March 20th, and said in the attached video interview: “I think we’ve got a good shot this year so I’m excited. I’m really happy with the package. To get in the top five this year I think will be a tall order for anybody. You have a lot of fast factory guys up there and there should be some entertaining racing.”

Edwards concluded: “I’m sure in 2011 Jorge would like to repeat what he did in 2010, but we’ll see. There’s a lot of stiff competition out there and there should be some good racing when it gets happening.”

Rossi: We are quite worried

Valentino Rossi couldn't hide his dissatisfaction at concluding the second Sepang MotoGP test in eleventh place, almost two-seconds from the top.

After feeling 'quite confident' following Tuesday's opening day, when he was ninth (on hard tyres) and one-second from the front, Rossi was then forced to miss the whole second day due to fever.

The seven time MotoGP world champion returned today eager to try and make up for lost time - and rode for 59 laps in the very tiring Malaysian heat. But there was to be small reward.

Rossi struggled with cornering and lost a further 0.8sec relative to fastest man Casey Stoner. There are now just two more days of difficult, at Qatar, before his first race as a Ducati rider.

“The first day was not so bad, because I was previously on the lap time of the first test [earlier this month] and we were one-second from the top,” said Rossi.

“We were quite certain for day two because we had a lot of things to try, like a dissimilar setting for the rear, some swingarm link, different suspension.

“I was quite hopeful to improve our lap time, then unluckily yesterday I could not ride so we lost one day and that made things more difficult.

“Anyway today I felt okay. I made nearly 60 laps and worked a lot on the bike, but unluckily we didn't fix our problem.

“We are not fast enough in the corners. We have a problem for rotating the bike, so I always have to slow down too much to make the first-class line. I cannot ride the Desmosedici in the right way.

Stoner getting into the groove with his new team

Repsol Honda new recruit Casey Stoner ran a stunning final lap to better Valentino Rossi’s best lap time around Sepang Circuit with a sensational time of 2:00.171 to top the timesheets in the MotoGP pre-season hard for a second successive day.

Covering 42 laps for the day, the 2007 world champion bettered Rossi’s time of 2:00.271, which the nine-time world champion recorded previous year on his Yamaha M1 during the last day of the second test meeting in Sepang.

Rossi, however, was not at the circuit to catch that sparkling run by the Australian as the Ducati Marlboro new recruit had skipped yesterday’s sitting due to sickness.

Day Two was also a day that the three-man Repsol Honda team sent a strong message of their meaning to wrest back the world crown as the Australian team-mates – Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and Italian Andrea Dovizioso took second and third spots correspondingly.

Pedrosa clocked the second fastest time of 2:00.229 while Divizioso came in at 2:00.531 around the 5.543km track.

“We had a really good day today. From the start I felt more comfortable with the bike again, like I unspoken the bike a little better,” said Stoner, who switched from Ducati to Honda this year.

All eyes on Valentino Rossi for 2011 MotoGP period

It has been a great knowledge going from watching MotoGP on my TV on a Sunday to expenditure race days in amongst it all.

I know people get overvalued up for the new season every year but I am really eager for this movement to start. It is the last one in the 800cc group and I think it is going to be one to remember.

Of course, the big news is Valentino Rossi's move from Yamaha to the Ducati team and I stayed on after the race in Valencia to watch his first laps on board the Desmosedici at the first authorized test.

There was a lot more press reporting than usual and everyone was waiting with bated breath for the rain to ease off and for the nine-time world champion to take to the track.

There is a lot of argue about what he will do on the Ducati this year and I think it will be very difficult for him to reconstruct his sensational winning debut for Yamaha at Welkom in 2004 or the following championship crown that followed.

I certainly expect him to be winning races but, with testing and development slowed by his recovery from a shoulder injury, I think it will be a rough start to the season for "The Doctor".

But if anyone can turn it around in an instant, it is Rossi. The other riders absolutely know better than to underestimate his chances.

Honda presents its sporting programme in Tokyo

The HRC riders flew directly to the Japanese capital from Sepang, where they took part in a stunning occasion to mark the start of the season.

The Welcome Plaza headquarters of Honda Motor Company in Tokyo was the setting for the Japanese factory's appearance of its 2011 sporting programme this week, which included national and international behavior connecting both motorcycling and motorsport.

The three riders on the Repsol Honda team this year, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, flew straight from Sepang for the event, along with Japanese rider Hiroshi Aoyama. Also present was Gresini Racing Moto2's Yuki Takahashi, who represented the middle category riders, the class to which Honda is the official engine supplier.

During the event, at which Honda Motor Company President and CEO Takanobu Ito was present, Dani Pedrosa commented that he was “very pleased both with the result of the Sepang Test and the condition of my shoulder after the operation this winter”. With regards to his aims for the season, Pedrosa said that “the most significant thing is to continue working hard and learning, which is the only way to get better and to get better each year. I hope to be reliable and get good results in every race.”

MOTOGP: Rossi Tears Down The Wall

Walls in-between MotoGP pits have become commonplace in recent years and even teammates that get along, such as last year's Tech3 combination of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies, have preferred the divider. Spies has stated he felt it helped his guys cut down on the disorder in the garage.

“Good fences make good neighbors,” wrote Robert Frost a long time ago. And there’s amazing to it.

But as he so often does, Valentino Rossi astonished MotoGP observers by saying he wants to buck the trend this year. Rossi’s recent comments at the Ducati team statement in the Dolomite Mountains echoed Ronald Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech.

Rossi said he wants no wall and for the two riders to share data and to assist fully in Ducati’s 2011 assault. While Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner had very different setup preferences for the paddock’s most sole handling machine, Rossi and Nick are closer.

Teammate Hayden raced next to Rossi at Honda years ago and there is a level of admiration between the two riders that allowed them to coexist then and now.

MotoGP : Rossi & Hayden Ice Footage

Here's some recording of Ducati MotoGP team riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden racing different machines Friday at the Wroom occasion at Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomites, Italy.

The traditional ice race finished the week-long event; Rossi and Hayden competed in go-karts and then Fiat Cinquecentos.

Rossi and Hayden represented the Ducati MotoGP team, and the famous Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were on behalf of the Italian icon Ferrari, along with three Ferrari F1 test drivers.

The nine-time World Champion Rossi, who signed with the Ducati Team after seven years of MotoGP racing with Yamaha, did not participate in any events like snowboarding at the Wrooom event, but still had some fun in the ice races.

The go-kart races were first, and although Rossi's contribution was dubious due to recovering from shoulder surgery, the Italian still raced.

Alonso, who has talked Rossi's four-wheel aptitude down before, got out front first, led all 20 laps. Rossi would finish fifth. But the American Hayden had different luck, and broken third behind Massa and race-winner, Alonso.

In the Fiat Cinquecentos ice race, the winner again was the Spaniard Alonso. Like his performance in the go-kart race, the Ferrari star Alonso led every lap of the race. Hayden ended second, and Rossi third. Last year at the ice race, the teams raced Fiat Pandas, and Hayden took the win.

Besides taking on Alonso, Rossi was also unveiled in 2011 Ducati Team MotoGP colors for the first time. The team's 2011 Ducati GP11 MotoGP motorcycles were also unvieled in 2011 colors.