In announcing the move of its Superbike team testing venue from Sears Point to Willow Springs Februaru 12-15, Ducati North America referred to the track as being “an undisclosed location,” even though the tests scheduled at Willow Springs were common knowledge to racing journalists. Ducati”s breaking off of negotiations with John Kocinski and signing of Aaron Slight in secret has also raised eyebrows of journalists who wondered why Ducati was attempting to be secretive, or perhaps selectively secretive.

Some media outlets were leaked information on the test location moving and on Slight replacing Kocinski, and others were not.

But sources close to Ducati say that what appears to be an attempt to be secretive is actually just a lack of a coordinated worldwide press relations policy and program on the part of the Italian manufacturer and its racing subsidiary, Ducati Corse, as well as various Ducati distributors.