Ducati looking to mount stronger challenge in 2011

Ducati hope the arrival of Italian icon Valentino Rossi will help the Bologna factory sustain a longer challenge for glory in the 2011 MotoGP world championship.

Ducati never really seriously contested the 2010 crown once Aussie Casey Stoner crashed out of two of the opening three races.

Stoner was threatening a fourth straight runaway success in the season’s opening round in Qatar when he crashed out. And he was fighting for a podium at the third round in Le Mans when he tumbled out, effectively killing off his title hopes.

And despite a tough pre-season campaign for Rossi since his arrival from Yamaha, Ducati is hoping he will be in the title hunt in the closing stages of the season.

Factory Ducati team boss Alessandro Cicognani told MCN: “The crash in Qatar, then a tough race in Jerez and again a crash in Le Mans, this made it very difficult for Casey.

“In a way it put too much Casey in a condition of not feeling good with the bike and he had this feeling for a few races. He was able to comeback and he managed to get a few podiums, so we can’t say that the bike was a bad one.

“Winning the championship is not all about victories but you also need to score points and this is what (Jorge) Lorenzo did. He had a great season and was pretty much always on the podium.

“But when you crash and the main opponent is either winning or finish second, it is very difficult. If you miss one race it becomes very difficult because the level is so high between the top four.

“(Marco) Simoncelli is now arriving and so is (Ben) Spies, (Andrea) Dovizioso has been stronger, so nobody forgives you a mistake. This was an issue for us. We worked hard on the bike and we never stopped.

“Casey has moved and now we have Valentino, so we will give the same maximum effort again and hopefully be in the fight for as long as possible.”