Already have Rossi underwear, Rossi shorts, Rossi shirts, a Rossi helmet, Rossi Leathers, Rossi boots and a Rossi fanny pack? Then we’ve got the bike for you! These sets of replacement bodywork for the Ducati Monster 696 and 1100 (also available in Kentucky Kid flavor) could be the product that will finally endow you with one iota of The Doctor’s riding ability. Or they could just make you look like a hopeless loser. Your call.
Valentino Rossi came fifth in an ice go kart race against Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Marc Gene, Giancarlo Fisichella and his own teammate, Nicky Hayden. The group also took the ice in toy-like Fiat 500s. More photos below.
Update: video below.
These are the first official images of the Ducati GP11, the bike that Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will ride in MotoGP this year. As you can see, there’s not a big departure here from the GP10, at least visually. The large wings on the fairing, first developed last year, are thought to create a vortex that aids in cooling by aggressively sucking air out of the fairing vents. It appears that the Desmosedici GP11 retains the semi-frameless, carbon monocoque design you can see in the picture below. One surprise, to us at least, is how small a presence AMG has after all the fanfare surrounding the announcement of their sponsorship.
Update: two videos, including interview with Hayden and Rossi.
Update 2: technical details from Filippo Preziosi.
Nicky Hayden, the other guy in this photograph of Valentino Rossi, knows he needs some serious results in 2011 or he risks being completely overshadowed.
It was the night before Christmas and all through Ducati HQ, not a creature was stirring, except Nicky Hayden. :continue:
Demonstrating the raw power and massive performance that the 162bhp Ducati Diavel is capable of, Nicky Hayden rolled onto the AMG/Ducati stage at the LA Auto Show with a huge burnout. All those car geeks in the audience must be in no doubt that this scooter means business. :continue:
While Mercedes unveiled its new CLS63 AMG don’t-call-me-a-four-door at the LA Motor Show last night, a hayseed from Kentucky snuck onstage with one of them new-fangled motor sickles and prompted a surprise announcement. Mercedes and Ducati are apparently going to be partners.
Update: according to Mercedes’ Twitter feed, “AMG announces sponsorship of Ducati MotoGP team with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden in 2011.”
Update 2: full details thanks to Jeremy at Autoblog.
What you’re looking at is a custom font created specifically for Nicky Hayden by House Industries. Loud and just a little funkadelic, the Kentucky Kid had his name emblazoned in it for the Indianapolis GP. The project came about as part of Alpinestars’ Apex Initiative, a collaboration project intended to make the brand a little more relevant to pop culture. Other collaborators include Fatlace and Parc Ferme.
After qualifying on the front row of the Indianapolis Grand Prix on Saturday, Nicky Hayden informed Ducati that he’d be putting in a few demo laps of the Indy Mile. “Least I could do is get a couple laps,” said Hayden. “I’m going to go out, ride around… not sign up for the heat races or nothing like that. But definitely I’m looking forward to it.” Turns out that, despite not strapping on a steel shoe since 2002, Nicky’s still got what it takes to ride sideways.
Update: Ducati sent over two new high-res images, you’ll find them in the gallery.
Update 2: Even more photos from Ducati.
These photos speak for themselves, but you guessed it, Nicky Hayden was literally getting his knee down, with no puck in the way, at yesterday’s Indianapolis Grand Prix. As in flesh/tarmac interface. Yuck. :continue:
