Ducati Thanks Yamaha for Letting Rossi Test

Valentino Rossi's soon-to-be employer Ducati thanked Yamaha for letting the Doctor join his new team from as early as the first test of the off-season, in early-to-mid November. As confirmed by Rossi himself in a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, his Yamaha boss told him that he will be free to test with Ducati shortly after the season finale in Valencia.

“The truth is we had expected this solution, considering the fine relationship we have had with Yamaha over the past months and in particular with Lin Jarvis, who in any case I want to thank,” said Ducati's MotoGP project manager Alessandro Cicognani in a recent interview with the same publication.

After signing his deal with Ducati some two months ago, Yamaha hinted that it will evaluate whether to leave Rossi go at the end of the season or after December 31, when his contract expires officially. In the latter scenario, Rossi would have missed the first sessions of testing with Ducati, which could have influenced his preparation for the 2011 campaign.

With the MotoGP now going the Formula One way in terms of limited testing in the off-season, Ducati admitted that having Rossi with them from the beginning of their 2011 prep would be crucial for next year.

“Nowadays we don't have unlimited testing like in the past, so it seems fairer for everyone to start in the same conditions for a new adventure,” added Cicognani.

This means that all riders that are expected to battle for the next year's MotoGP title will be up and ready to test their 2011-spec machines in Valencia. While Yamaha will release Rossi in time for the test, so will be Ducati's approach regarding Casey Stoner, who will join Honda next year.