Touring Sport Ducshop Ducati heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend for the penultimate round of the AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT championship with high hopes of securing their third consecutive championship title.


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Ducati has announced that they have exercised their option and extended Nicky Hayden’s contract for 2010. Nicky has finished in the top 8 for the last 6 rounds finally gracing the podium at last weekend’s Indianapolis MotoGP.

Nicky’s podium was instrumental in his achievement of a second season in the factory team despite the company actively campaigning for other tier one riders such as Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

«The confirmation of Nicky is the right reward to a rider who has shown to perfectly embody the frame of mind that characterises Ducati – Passion, Determination and Commitment.» said Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Motor Holding general manager. «We have always considered Nicky to be an important asset to the Ducati 2010 strategy and we are very happy that he will remain in the Ducati Marlboro Team.»

link: Crash.net

This weekend’s American Superbike, World Superbike and MotoGP racing should offer compelling viewing for every race fan. Mat Madin competes for the last time on a road racer in American Superbike racing whilst battle is resumed in two feuds featuring Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies in the World Superbike Championship and Valentino Rossi and his young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP. Light the blue touch paper and stand well back!


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If Ducati had great confidence in Nicky Hayden for 2010 MotoGP season it would have announced it was executing it’s 1 year option last Friday at Indianapolis. Or at least by the expiration of the option which was September 1st right? After all he put the Ducati on the podium. What’s up?

It is no secret that Nicky has struggled to come to grips with the Ducati GP9 this season and his recent results which included a podium at Indy have only partially offset his general lack of pace compared to his team-mate Casey Stoner.

It isn’t for want of trying. Hayden impressed Ducati management with his focussed approach to getting up to speed on the bike but when it became clear that his race results were mirroring his fairly ordinary pre-season testing it was time for change.


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Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday. Every week I will post up something beautiful from the world of Ducati that you just might like to have grace your desktop. This week we have the very first belt driven cam Ducat, the Ducati Pantah 500


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The Ducati Xerox Team are back from their holidays and now pack their bags for round 11 of the World Superbike Championship, the action taking place this time at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring. Since the last round at Brno, the Superbike circus has taken its traditional summer break, six weeks in length this year, giving the riders a substantial period in which to rest and recuperate in preparation for the final push. Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio have enjoyed the time off, Noriyuki returning home to Japan to see family and friends and Michel passing the time at home in Rome.

Both riders, who between them have put the Ducati Xerox Team on the podium in nineteen of the twenty races held so far, are fighting fit and ready for the all important final four rounds of the World Superbike Championship.

Last time out, on the Czech track of Brno more than a month ago, Michel crashed out of Race 1 but climbed onto the podium in the second race, consolidating his third place position in the overall rider classification. Noriyuki, less than 100% fit and riding with fractures to his right ulna and left shoulder blade, knew that it would be hard to fight for podiums and finished the races in eighth and sixth position, taking valuable points that means he maintains his championship lead going into the eleventh round.

The infamous Ring returned to the Superbike calendar in 2008 after an eight year absence. The June appointment saw two wet races, the first restarted and the second cut short due to the adverse weather conditions. On board the factory Yamaha, Noriyuki powered his way to the double win at the Ring last season, also taking the lap record in the process, and the Ducati Xerox squad is hopeful he can do a similar job with his Ducati 1198 this year. Michel’s first experience of the track was last year’s race weekend, and although the Italian rider came away with good points, he will be looking for a big improvement this year, to maintain the performance level that has seen him finish ten of the last twelve races on the podium.


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Hayden Puts the Ducati on the Box

For Ducati fans the first podium for Nicky Hayden was the major news from the running of the 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship at Indianapolis. The American took advantage of a rare occasion where both pole sitter Dani Pedrosa and Championship leader Valentino Rossi fell early in the race. Nicky wasn’t the only rider to capitalize with Jorge Lorenzo taking the win and closing back to within 25 points of Rossi, whilst Alex De Angelis took his first ever MotoGP podium with 2nd place.

Pedrosa set off at the lights as everyone expected. The Honda man had looked unbeatable in every session including the rain. Rossi and Lorenzo gave chase only for Pedorsa to crash out early in the 4th lap in a bizarre event that saw him lose the front just on the exit of a right hander as he tried to lift the bike up and over to set up for the following tight left.


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After taking 2nd fastest in the rain during yesterday’s first practice session, Ducati’s Nicky Hayden dropped back in the field to log the 7th fastest time this morning during the second session and ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying. Dani Pedrosa had no such problems switching from wet to dry conditions and remains at the top, the only rider into the 1′40″ range.


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The MotoGP World Championship returned to Indianapolis today and was again struck by the wet weather curse that saw last year’s race cancelled with eight laps remaining. Thankfully there was no sign of the high winds from twelve months ago and the first free practice session went ahead without delay, with the impressive Nicky Hayden and stand-in team-mate Mika Kallio lapping second and eleventh fastest respectively in the soaking conditions.


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Casey Stoner has finally spoken out on his forced absence from the MotoGP paddock. In an exclusive interview with the Italian magazine MotoSprint, he spoke of his frustration at not being able to ride the the best of his ability, about his illness and about his recovery. The authoratitive website Autosport.com has a comprehensive summary of the interview in English, in which Stoner had some very interesting things to say about his condition.


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