The Ducati squad prepare for battle at the technical German track this weekend in Sachsenring. It is a circuit where Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner have taken good results, plus the layout is enjoyable for both racers.

The pair arrive to the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland with full confidence, both keen to improve on their 2010 campaign season. For Hayden, who appeared on the podium four times at Sachsenring through 2004 and 2007, there are many parts of the circuit he appreciates.

“It is a very short lap at Sachsenring and the first part of it is very tight and technical, with probably the slowest run of corners on the whole calendar. Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all in first gear – it’s like a car park!” says Hayden. “The back section is really fast though, with one of the coolest corners in MotoGP, which we call the ‘Waterfall’ – you arrive in fifth gear and nosedive into a blind corner. You have to be decisive there or you can easily lose a few tenths.”

“It is a track I like a lot and on paper it is one of the best on the calendar for me. I really like left-hand corners and this track is full of them, so it is also important that we have dual compound tyres here,” he adds.

Colleague Stoner is also a fan of the layout, where he claimed his first World Championship podium in the 125cc session in 2003 and won in MotoGP in 2008. The 24 year old is also happy with the progress made on his Desmosedici GP10, after back-to-back stage appearances in the prior two rounds.

“We have always had pretty good races at Sachsenring, I got my first-ever podium there and I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he says. “We’re a little more confident with the bike, everything has worked well enough in the last three races and we just need to find a bit more speed – just a few tenths of a second. We have to try a few different things to get some grip without losing the good feeling we have with the bike at the moment.”

On the pre-requisites for the German circuit, Stoner adds, “You definitely need good side grip at Sachsenring because through a lot of those long corners you need to keep the gas open as long as possible. Also when you come over the top at turn 12 the rear gets very light and wants to wriggle around, so you really need some traction over the top there.”

“I’m looking forward to the next race because if we can find a good set-up it can give us the opportunity to do well.

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Valentino Rossi finished a test ride at the Brno track on Monday on a YZF-R1 world superbike engine, as he and the Fiat Yamaha squad endured extra assessments of the Italian’s physical health.

After completing 46 laps with a best time in the 1’59.1 area, the World Champion stated that he felt less agony than last Wednesday’s test at Misano, which was his initial time back on a bike following his fracture to his right tibia in early June.

“I’m very happy with how it went, I felt much better than in Misano – last week was pretty hard but I feel better and better and we have had five days between those two tests. This time my knee and shoulder didn’t hurt as much,” says Rossi.

A decision will be made on whether he can attempt a comeback at Sachsenring this weekend on Wednesday, following X-rays to determine the stage of healing.

“Now I’ll have to wait to take a decision on Wednesday after we have some X-rays as to whether I race or not in Germany. Doing a full race will be a different story, but I still have another couple of days to get a bit better,” states Rossi.

“Racing in the next two races would be important in order to be in good shape in Brno (on August 15th), however I think we’ll have to wait until Misano (on September 5th) to be fully competitive.”

Rossi ended a session of runs via the YZF-R1, which was arranged for him by the Yamaha WSB squad, his final conclusion of how he felt was encouraging.

“Riding the YZF-R1 was good fun, I have to thank the team for preparing the bike for me,” he says.

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Casey Stoner will race for HRC next year after announcements confirmed on Friday, July 9th, the 24 year old Aussie will finish his association with Ducati at the completion of the current MotoGP season 2010, bringing a relationship to an end that has been incurred over four years and has shown a MotoGP World Championship title in his initial season with the Italian factory.

Ducati confirmed after “four years of extraordinary collaboration” the last event of the 2010 year at Valencia on November 7th would be the conclusion of a partnership that began in 2007, the year that the Desmosedici GP7 had its debut in the fresh 800cc session and where Stoner was victorious of the MotoGP title.

“I would like to thank Casey on behalf of our fans and our sponsors, but most of all on behalf of all the people working at Ducati,” comments Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Director. “The victories and emotions he gave us rewarded all the hard work and sacrifice we made. In these four years together we have had a lot of great moments. Securing the 2007 MotoGP World Championship title and the victory at Mugello in 2009 were moments that we will never forget. In Casey we not only found an incredibly talented rider, but also an honest and loyal guy and that’s why there will always be a strong and sincere bond between us, even as a competitor.”

Stoner adds, “I must thank Ducati for giving me such a great opportunity to race and win with them over these past four years. They took a gamble when they signed me at the end of 2006 as I was unknown, but as we worked together we were able to win a Championship, many races and challenge for the Championship in the last two seasons. I have now decided to move on and I will have new challenges in the future and different obstacles to overcome, but I will not forget these years with Ducati and the people I have had the privilege to work so closely with. So a big thanks to Ducati and all our sponsors who we have shared success with while achieving lifelong goals.”

Following Ducati’s confirmation, HRC stated that Stoner will be a factory Honda competitor in next year’s squad. Stoner united with Ducati in 2007 after having raced for the LCR Honda team in his debut year back in 2006.

“We are very pleased that Casey will join Honda again next year,” says HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto. “Clearly he is one of the top riders in MotoGP and he will bring valuable speed and experience to our team. In the factory Honda squad we already have two very strong and experienced riders in Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso who are performing very well and currently hold second and third positions in the 2010 World Championship.

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