Ducati is breathing a collective sigh of relief when they heard that Masao Furusawa had given permission to Valentino Rossi to test the Ducati in the post-season sessions at Valencia next month.
Alessandro Cicognani, Ducati’s Project Manager speaking to the official MotoGP website has thanked Yamaha for releasing Rossi early.
“I haven’t heard what Rossi or Yamaha have said exactly, but I was told about this so I am really happy.
I think in a way it’s like a present from Yamaha to Valentino after what he has done for them.
We can be happy with this and I would like to thank, in a way, Yamaha.
I have good relations with Lin Jarvis and I take this chance to thank him because he has always been fair and open to discussion.
It’s not easy and it’s great.
So we will work now and finish the season, and then start again for 2011 just after the Valencia race.
“I think for everybody that this test is important because, due to the testing restrictions, I think it’s fair that every rider has the chance to test the bike he is going to ride the following year.
So for everybody it would be important.
He will test the 2011 bike for sure, and we will see.
We are working on it!” Hopefully Furusawa won’t take up Filippo Preziosi’s madcap offer from a couple of months ago, to paint the Ducati blue for the test.