After the Yamaha press release and the “letter” dedicated to the hiring official Ducati Valentino Rossi for the next two years. Short, but meaningful statement contained in the already “history” recent modern motorcycling.

“Ducati and Valentino Rossi have reached an agreement that will see over the next two years, the nine times World Champion colors dress the Ducati Marlboro Team, riding the” Red Bologna, Italy factory.

Valentino’s arrival at Ducati opens an exciting new chapter in sports history of the House and Italian MotoGP. The opportunity to have among their ranks a pilot with exceptional human qualities and techniques as Rossi is considered by Ducati a great added value for the entire MotoGP project.

In the statement speaks Gabriele Del Torchio, Ducati Motor Holding President, who last week had left … escape to advance the announcement.

“We are very pleased to announce that from 2011 Valentino Rossi will be with us. A combination of excellence in motorcycle world, consistent with our feature Italian company, bearer of the values of “Made in Italy” are in technology, design and sporting the distinctive elements and the key to success. An agreement was made possible only by the determination of the parties, even by the firm support of our shareholder Investindustrial and all sponsors of the Ducati Marlboro Team, who believed in this opportunity and continue to give us confidence, sharing and supporting our choices.

Commenting on the announcement Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse Director General, who has worked so hard to reach agreement with Valentino.

“Valentino is above all a great lover of motorcycles and for me has always been a pleasure to listen to his technical comments. Valencia will remain until an opponent whose greatness is something that has always given a special value to our victories, but when we analyze the Ducati will rise freely every technical detail to create a bike that could ever better able to express his extraordinary talent. To work with him is the most challenging every technician can expect and it’s nice to know that next season we will have this great opportunity. “

Magneti Marelli is reportedly offering a KERS system to formula one teams for a price of US $1 million per season.

The Sesto San Giovanni-based company is a Fiat subsidiary and electronics specialist that was involved with Ferrari’s energy-recovery technology deployed in formula one last year.

It has already been reported that Ferrari-powered Sauber is considering using a Magneti Marelli system next year, as is Red Bull, whose engine supplier Renault also turned to the Italian company for its KERS in 2009.

Autosprint reports that Toro Rosso, also powered by Ferrari, could also use a Magneti Marelli KERS in 2011, as well as the new teams Virgin, Lotus and HRT.

Kimi Raikkonen could be asked to test formula one tyres for the sport’s new exclusive supplier Pirelli.

It has emerged that the Italian company will supply two sets of tyres to each team at a special Abu Dhabi test immediately after November’s season finale.

But Pirelli is also keen to do some testing before then, and – after initially running with a GP2 car – is considering using either an old BMW or Toyota car.

As for the driver, Nick Heidfeld had been touted, but this might have handed an unfair advantage to Mercedes.

According to Finland’s Turun Sanomat, Pirelli’s racing boss Paul Hembery proposed in Valencia that Finn Raikkonen could be an option.

The 2007 world champion left Ferrari at the end of last year and currently drives full-time in the Pirelli-shod world rally championship.

“I don’t know whether Kimi Raikkonen would be interested,” Hembery is quoted as saying.

The 18 grand prix winner’s manager Steve Robertson said: “Currently, Kimi is totally focused on what he is doing.

“But if Pirelli approaches us, of course we will discuss it.  Then, it would depend on whether Kimi is interested in this sort of challenge, and how it would fit into his schedule,” he added.

(GMM)

Entering formula one will not cause Pirelli to increase its budget, chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera said on Thursday.

The Italian company has won its bid to succeed the sport’s departing exclusive supplier Bridgestone in 2011, but its boss played down suggestions the sport is still extremely expensive for participants.

Tronchetti Provera confirmed that teams are paying Pirelli for service over the next three years, adding that the cost to the marque “will be zero compared to our budget”.

And “the advertising campaign … will be switched from other races where we’ve reduced our presence, first of all rallying, where there are new rules starting next year”, he is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

“We’ll reduce our budget in other racing (categories) and be fully dedicated to formula one,” he said, although Pirelli will also supply GP2 and GP3 next year.

Meanwhile, Pirelli’s director of motorsport Paul Hembrey played down reports the unraced 2010 Toyota car will be used by the marque for F1 tyre testing.

Revealing that a GP2 car will be used instead, he said as “a test-bed, particularly for integrity reasons, reliability and stability, it’s probably a good starting point”.
(GMM)

Pirelli will supply four different dry tyre compounds to formula one teams in 2011, the Italian company has announced.

It was confirmed by the FIA on Wednesday that Milan based Pirelli will succeed the departing Bridgestone as F1′s new supplier until 2013.

It had been expected that – unlike at present with Bridgestone offering super-soft, soft, medium and hard compounds – Pirelli’s compounds would number just three.

But Pirelli has confirmed that on offer in 2011 will be four dry weather tyres, plus a full wet tyre and an intermediate.

“Following current formula one regulations laid down by .. the FIA, the new contract ensures that Pirelli will provide teams with six different types of tyre for the season,” read a statement.

It is believed the reason the “current” rules are remaining unchanged is due to the long delay in the appointment of Bridgestone’s successor.

The F1 teams recently agreed to commence the designs of their 2011 cars on the basis of Bridgestone’s 2010-specification tyre.

Also postponed is the touted move from the current 13-inch wheels to a much lower profile.

But Pirelli said “research into innovative new tyre developments is a vital part of this exciting programme”.

The company will also supply GP2 and GP3.
(GMM)

Jun.17 (GMM)  Gerhard Berger has dismissed claims that Pirelli is a questionable choice as formula one’s new tyre supplier.

Although the news is not yet official, it is now expected that the Italian company will succeed the departing Bridgestone — with confirmation coming possibly at next week’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

The other serious contender has been Michelin, Bridgestone’s most recent tyre competitor between 2001 and 2006 with 43 grand prix wins in this period, and utterly dominant in 2005.

The fact that Pirelli’s proposal is the one that has gained the majority of support has therefore been surprising to some; not only because it has absent from F1 since 1991, but also because the development time for 2011 is now so short.

Moreover, there has been some criticism in the past during Pirelli’s forays in world superbike racing as well as world rallying.  The Milan based brand is currently also the GP3 supplier and tipped for a deal with GP2 for 2011 and beyond.

“This (criticism) is absolute nonsense,” Berger, who won the 1986 Mexican grand prix with Pirelli tyres and Benetton in 1986, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“Pirelli equips the fastest sports cars in the world.  There are also people in formula one who have been successful with Pirelli,” added the Austrian.

Pirelli’s last grand prix win was with Nelson Piquet and Benetton in Montreal in 1991.

On his visit to last weekend’s Canadian grand prix, director of motor sport Paul Hembery declined to comment.

Because the decision about next year’s supplier is taking so long, F1 teams are designing their 2011 cars around the current specification of Bridgestone tyre.

The Japanese marque is departing the sport, and it had been expected that the Italian company Pirelli would be unveiled this weekend as successor.

But Michelin has thrown a spanner in the works, sending competition boss Nick Shorrock to Istanbul, where a 90 minute meeting on Sunday resulted in the teams still not deciding on an outcome for next year’s world championship.

“It’s going to take a little while longer,” Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn told Reuters in Turkey.

But the teams’ designers are out of time, and leading outfits are getting anxious.

“It’s already late and we cannot really waste more time on it,” said Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali.

Brawn said the teams are handling the situation by producing a “technical specification” of the tyre they want for 2011, and are therefore able to continue with plans for next year’s cars.

“Our cars are being designed around the current tyres because we have no other information,” he explained.

(GMM)

Apr.29 (GMM)  Pirelli has definitely joined the race to supply tyres to formula one teams next year.

We reported last week that, after a shareholder’s meeting of the Italian company, chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera said Pirelli might be interested in entering F1 if certain conditions are met.

He said that if the permitted diameter of F1 tyres is increased, and providing the arrangement makes financial sense, Pirelli would “look into this (F1) world with greater attention”.

But in the wake of his comments, the F1 teams alliance FOTA met on Wednesday of this week, and Williams’ Sam Michael emerged confirming that the bulk of the conversation centred on a choice between Michelin and Avon.

However, Pirelli said in a statement on Thursday that it will now “present … an offer for the supply of tyres to all the teams in the F1 championship”.

The marque said the presentation will take place in Barcelona ahead of next weekend’s Spanish grand prix.