Kallio expects to maintain form in race

Pramac Ducati team boss Paolo Campinoti reckons Mika Kallio's strong run in the Jerez qualifying simulation proves his squad can join the front-runners this year.

The Finnish 250cc graduate was as high as fourth early in today's televised session, and ended up an impressive sixth.

The team was heavily reorganised in the middle of last year, with the departure of long-time team manager Luis D'Antin, and Campinoti believes the outfit is now significantly stronger.

"What to say? It seems like we have started the season well," he said. "We have renovated our structure and things are turning in the right direction for us. We are really satisfied.

"After the results of this test it seems like we will be able to be amongst the protagonists during this season."

Kallio is also confident of maintaining his strong form in the races.

"Together with my technical director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, we have put together all the positive things we found and we had an almost perfect bike," he said.

"I still lose too much time in the last sector otherwise we could have finished in an even better position. We are doing great work and I believe we can keep up the good work also in the first race in Qatar."

But while Kallio was delighted, his team-mate Niccolo Canepa continued to struggle for pace and was only 18th, 1.4 seconds slower.

"Niccolo has found too many difficulties," said Campinoti. "He has to stay calm, we know his true value and we will do everything possible to put him in the best situation to perform at his best."

Former factory Ducati test rider Canepa vowed not to become downcast about his poor winter form.

"I hope in Qatar things will go better," he said. "I can guarantee I will keep my morale high and never give up."

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Ducati says Stoner's wrist getting better

Ducati team manager Livio Suppo says that Casey Stoner's wrist injury is much better now, but could have been worse were it not for his off-season operations.

The 2007 world champion re-injured his wrist after crashing out of the lead at Brno and Misano last year, tipping the previously injured wrist to 'open up' and stretch out the staple that was holding a bone together since 2003.

Stoner had surgery on Thursday 30th October last year and has not done long runs at any of the three 2009 test sessions in Sepang, Qatar and Jerez.

Suppo brushed off acknowledging how bad it was, but admitted Stoner's wrist might never be the same again.

"As far as we haven't got the races we can't say (how it really is), but he's more happy than the first test in Sepang that was difficult for him," said Suppo.

"In Qatar it was already much better and in Jerez it was better again. It's been a big surgery. Kind of three surgeries in one. One was the bone, one was to clean everything around the bone. It's not easy. It takes time to come back.

"Maybe he won't ever be like before. It's like Mick Doohan's leg was never like it was before, but he could still ride and still win five championships. So I'm not saying it's not impossible for Casey to move again his wrist like before, but sure it can be that he has to live with it.

"Surgery is always something that could stop something that was going to be worse. His wrist was really bad."

Stoner himself said over the weekend that he is restricted with not so much up and down movement, but left to right movement with his left hand.

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Ezpeleta: Rookies rule set for 2010

MotoGP rights holder Carmelo Ezpeleta says the regulation to prevent factory teams from signing rookie riders in 2009 was decided even without unanimous agreement among the teams.

The rule is intended to help customer teams to improve their performance by allowing them to recruit the most promising riders from the junior categories. Not all of MotoGP's works teams have agreed to it, but Ezpeleta says it will be introduced anyway.

"There is not unanimous agreement, some of them prefer to maintain their freedom," he said. "But because there is not a unanimous opposition, we think we can make these measures. I think we have ways to resolve this problem."

Ezpeleta explained that in order to reach his target of 20 bikes on the grid, the series organisers need to help the satellite teams where possible.

"The most important thing is to give to the independent teams the possibility to be competitive," said Ezpeleta. "The independent teams are suffering a lot and we need to provide to them some measures. This is something they have requested strongly and we think it's a possibility."

Of the current MotoGP front-runners, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo were all signed straight to works teams from the 250cc class, while Casey Stoner had a learning season with LCR Honda before joining Ducati and taking the 2007 title.

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Toseland taken to hospital for checks

James Toseland has been taken to Cadiz Hospital after his crash during this afternoon's Official Test session at Jerez.

The Tech 3 Yamaha rider is believed to have escaped with slight concussion and a sprained ankle. Circuit doctors tended to Toseland but thought it best he was transferred to the hospital for further checks.

The Briton fell at Turn 3 on his first flying lap with a new rear tyre. Other riders, such as Jorge Lorenzo, have found that the new 2009-specification
Bridgestones need a couple of laps to get fully warm now that qualifying tyres are no longer being made with the end of the tyre war.

Toseland's accident is a further blow to his pre-season preparations, as he had struggled in recent tests following another heavy accident at Sepang in February.

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Yamaha 'fully committed' to MotoGP

Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis says his company remains fully committed to MotoGP despite the economic downturn.

Many Japanese manufacturers have cut back their racing activities in recent months, with Honda leaving Formula 1, Suzuki and Subaru pulling out of the World Rally Championship, and Kawasaki ending its works involvement in MotoGP.

But the premier motorcycle racing series has managed to retain Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki alongside Ducati, and while Jarvis declined to make any long-term promises, he said Yamaha had no doubts about its MotoGP programme at present.

"As everybody's very aware, not only in MotoGP but in all sports and in our daily lives, it's a very difficult moment with the collapse of the global economy since November last year," he said.

"I think we are fortunate because Yamaha has shown its commitment by continuing to support the sport with four riders. We were obviously very successful with our efforts last year, and in some other sports we've seen some teams stop and others have difficulty continuing to raise the funds.

"At this moment the business is very difficult. We're at the beginning of the sales season for motorcycles, so nobody knows the future. But at this moment I can say we're fully committed."

Jarvis said that Yamaha company president Takashi Kajikawa still believed that racing was a worthwhile marketing exercise, and that while the team might have to make some cuts, he expected it to remain in MotoGP for the long-term.

"President Kajikawa very much recognises the importance of racing to the brand," said Jarvis.

"We're looking at how we can manage our activities, and our costs. Yamaha is fully, fully committed and will be doing everything to keep the performance at the top level this year."

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MotoGP rookies limited to private teams

Factory MotoGP teams will no longer be able to sign rookie riders from 2010, under the new regulations announced at Jerez today.

The move is intended to encourage the most talented young riders to begin their MotoGP careers at the smaller teams, in the hope that the satellite squads can achieve better results and earn more sponsorship as a consequence.

FIM president Vito Ippolito confirmed the introduction of the rule in a press conference during today's Jerez test.

"For next year we will have some regulations for the entry into MotoGP," he said.

"It means that new riders coming from other classes and other championships will not be allowed to participate with a factory team. The new riders from the 250cc class, or Moto2, or other championships arriving into MotoGP will only be allowed to participate with private or satellite teams."

Jorge Lorenzo moved straight into the factory Yamaha team as 250cc champion in 2008 and proceeded to take three straight pole positions and win in his third MotoGP start.

However the Spaniard was relatively unusual, as most rookies in recent years have started with private teams anyway. Lorenzo was the only one of last year's newcomers to get a factory ride, with fellow rookies Alex de Angelis, James Toseland and Andrea Dovizioso starting out with Gresini, Tech 3 and JiR Scot respectively.

Of the current front-runners, both Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa were signed by the works Honda team straight from 250cc, but Casey Stoner had a learning season with LCR Honda before joining Ducati and taking the 2007 title.

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Toseland expected to be fit for Qatar

The Tech 3 Yamaha team expects James Toseland to be fit to race in the MotoGP season-opener at Losail on 12 April despite his second massive accident of the winter at Jerez today.

The Briton was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after a violent high-side at Turn 3 during the BMW Award qualifying simulation. He was judged to have escaped with concussion, and returned to the paddock this evening.

The accident came just under two months after a similar crash at Sepang, which had also left him struggling with concussion. Toseland had been off the pace at subsequent tests, but was getting back up to speed at Jerez prior to today's incident.

Team boss Herve Poncharal was disappointed that the crash had interrupted Toseland's recovery, but is confident he will be on the pace in Qatar in a fortnight.

"I am obviously delighted that James is going to be fit for the first race after another big crash today," said Poncharal.

"It is a real pity for him because he was really looking like his old self this weekend after the crash in Sepang and making some big progress with the bike and the tyres. I'm sure he will be ready and determined to give 100 per cent again in Qatar."

While Toseland has had an incident-packed winter, his team-mate Colin Edwards has shown promising pace, although he was only 10th in today's qualifying session.

"I started the timed session and I knew I could do a low 1m40s but to do a 1m39s I just didn't have the right set-up," Edwards explained. "When I saw Casey (Stoner) do a 39.1 on only his third lap, I knew my package wasn't ready to do that and I'm not going to take any risks with the first race so close.

"I'm happy with the way the winter has gone. Yamaha has done a great job and at every test we have been competitive."

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