Valentino Rossi took an image of his 2012 Ducati MotoGP bike this morning at Sepang and fronted it to the Internet.
The bike is on the work stand in Malaysia with mechanics surrounding it. The aluminum sections of the chassis are clearly visible.
While the image does not reveal much in terms of detail, some observers get a very Moto2/British vibe from the design and less than works level dull-sheen chassis. Ducati MotoGP went steel trellis to carbon fiber without even a pause at the aluminum twin-spar station stop, so it's possible that they needed to farm out the chassis to persons who have some experience in these matters. Purists might fear having Brits tag up a chassis for a Ducati race bike might be the development that forces a very pissed Dr. T to rise from his grave, but the truth is old Doc T did a fair bit of stooping to conquer in his day, Hailwood and Sports Motor Cycles, etc.
And a chassis doesn't need to reflect in order to work well.
The stakes have never been higher for Ducati Corse and Rossi. With just one season left on their current contract, Ducati will need to deliver a motorcycle to Rossi that he can win races on and consistently challenge for the podium with. What seemed unthinkable a year ago has actually come to pass—Rossi went winless last season for the first time in his MotoGP career. That puts both Rossi and Ducati in the position where they need to win races or face that the fabled pairing of Italian Superstar and manufacturer was a bungled debacle.
