BACK-TO-BACK FLYAWAYS IN AUSTRALIA AND MALAYSIA FOR DUCATI TEAM The Ducati Team is headed to the first of two overseas races that in the space of two weeks will take the Italian team first to Australia and then to Malaysia. The Phillip Island Grand Prix is one of the most popular rounds among the MotoGP riders because the circuit that twists along the Bass Strait features an old-style layout that is fast and flowing, and spectacular to ride. Apart from 2006, when their best result was fourth place, the Ducati Team has always finished on the podium at Phillip Island. As for Valentino Rossi, he has enjoyed no fewer than seven victories there in his career, plus another six podium finishes. On Friday, the Italian will be testing the readiness of the hand that he injured in the crash in Japan, and he’ll also try continue the good progress he made there with the GP11.1’s setup. Nicky Hayden is also a great admirer of the Down Under circuit, where he owns the lap record (2008), and where he will be celebrating his 150th Grand Prix this weekend. He has climbed the podium three times at Phillip Island, and he finished fourth last year with the Ducati. VALENTINO ROSSI, Ducati Team “At Motegi, despite the outcome of the race and what the consequences of the crash turned out to be, there were a number of positive aspects. We worked well on the bike’s balance and setup, and in the end, from that point of view, we had one of the most positive weekends of the season. Phillip Island is another track where the Ducati has always gone well, as have I, so we hope to be able to work as well as we did in Japan. As far as my hand is concerned, the swelling is reduced, and we still have a couple of days before we go on the track. We just have to wait for Friday morning to see how it reacts. NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Team “Phillip Island is definitely one of the highlights of the year, because everything about it is special. It’s fast, flowing and really fun to ride. The big question mark is always the weather. We can get rain, wind, cold and sun, all in the course of one race weekend. Casey has won a lot of races there for Ducati, and I should have been on the podium there last year, except that I left the door open for Vale to beat me. It’s a good track for me, and although I know it won’t be easy, I really hope we can do well. I’ve got Simoncelli coming for me in the points, but I’m not really thinking about that. I’d just like to try to get a good result on Sunday, when it counts.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “Phillip Island is one of the circuits where our bike has always gone well, and it’s one where Valentino has posted many wins. Nicky also loves the track, so our goal is to be able to continue the good work we did in Japan with both riders. We’ll have the unknown of Vale’s hand injury, but he was able to rest and recuperate over the past few days, so we hope it won’t give him any problems.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Repsol Honda Team arrives in Australia in fine form The Repsol Honda Team arrives in Australia this week ready to put on a great show at one of the most exciting races on the calendar. Phillip Island is not only a wonderful track for both riders and spectators but also, with only three races to go, the first place where the World Championship titles could be decided. The three Repsol Honda riders face the last phase of the season in optimum form. Casey Stoner has always been a safe guarantee in Phillip Island. He has won the past four MotoGP races there and after his third place in Japan, which he didn’t feel fully happy with, he will be looking for his fifth successive victory on home soil. With a forty point lead in the World Championship Standings, Casey has been creating a dream season which can see him take the Championship in front of his home fans if he takes ten points or more than rival Jorge Lorenzo in Sunday’s race. Honda will also be looking to clinch the Constructor’s Title in Phillip Island, in order to secure this, the top Honda RC212V must finish at least third in the race. Pedrosa arrives in Australia after taking a brilliant victory in Japan – the first one for the HRC Factory Team in Motegi – and will relish racing in Phillip Island again, where he was unable to race last year due to injury. Dovizioso will be also looking to produce a strong performance as in Motegi, where unfortunately, his race was ruined after he was handed a ride through penalty after leading the race in the first laps. Andrea and Dani are third and fourth in the overall standings separated by just one point. The race weekend will start on Friday with the first day of free practices. All practice sessions will be scheduled one hour later than usual to allow riders to acclimatise to the later racing time in Phillip Island of 16h00, changed to facilitate audiences in Europe. CASEY STONER World Championship Position: 1st with 300 points “Every year I look forward to going to Phillip Island, there are a few tracks I really enjoy, Mugello and Brno being the other tracks so I’m excited to get to there and see how the bike works. I love coming back home to race in Australia, it’s always a lot of fun and we don’t get to visit so often, as well as the track, the general atmosphere is incredible and I always enjoy the weekend as a whole and the fans are fantastic. Hopefully this weekend we can have a good race, I’m very disappointed after Japan as we knew our potential, I want to go there and win the race, like I wanted to in Japan. The season has been fantastic so far and we’ll be looking to continue this momentum. If we can top it off with a win in Phillip Island, my home Grand Prix it would be a dream. It will be a long hard weekend, and there is still a lot of work to do to win the Championship, but we’re ready for it”. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO World Championship Position: 3rd with 196 points “Phillip Island is a nice circuit set in a unique location. Last year the race was not as we expected as I had a technical problem that prevented me to fight for the podium. My target this time is to return on the podium and gain some points in order to retain the third position in the Championship. Phillip Island is a demanding track and in the past I have struggled quiet a lot. The real issue is with the weather, the strong winds, rain and cold temperatures have often complicated the race. From a technical point of view the Australian track requires an aggressive riding style and an ability to make the bike turn whilst sliding. This is a very spectacular place, the setting by the ocean makes it special and the many fans are truly passionate. After the race weekend we had in Japan I’m looking forward to the Australian GP. Since my debut in the GPs in 2002 I have raced with Honda my who le career, for next year i have decided to take another challenge. But this is for 2012, now I’m focused on these last three remaining GPs. I want to have some spectacular races and score good results for Honda, my team and all my fans”. DANI PEDROSA World Championship Position: 4th with 195 points “I’m looking forward to going to Phillip Island as the circuit is very nice with many fast corners and a lot of sliding. The tyres play an important role there as the left side of the tyre gets used a lot and therefore durability is always crucial. Last year I tried to return to racing in Australia after my collarbone operation and I realised during practice that It would be impossible for me to finish the race. It was very hard for me to accept that I was not ready to race as a result of the injury and I had to return home empty handed after a big effort. This year I would like to race in normal conditions and leave Australia with a good result”.