MotoGP Gardner "not overly surprised"

Valentino Rossi's chief engineer Jeremy Burgess says the Italian's slow times in his maiden test for Ducati are no cause for panic.
"There's no reason to panic, despite Valentino's unusual test results," Burgess told Motosprint.
"After years of Japanese bikes, and seven seasons at Yamaha, for Valentino to get on the Ducati was a sort of culture shock.
Burgess also believes that Rossi was suffering particularly badly with his shoulder injury - which has since undergone surgery - at the test.
This has influenced his test."
FORMER 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner has said he's "not overly surprised" new Ducati signing Valentino Rossi ended the second day's testing at Valencia in 15th place on the timesheets.

Speaking after last week's two-day test, which saw the nine-time World Champion take his first ride aboard the 2011 Desmosedici, Gardner believes Rossi will have been keeping his powder dry until the start of pre-season testing next year.

Like many of us, Gardner was impressed, if not surprised, by fellow Australian Casey Stoner's blistering performance at the Valencia test session.
Filippo Preziosi, the General Director at Ducati Corse, and his team at the Bologna factory will now take Rossi and teammate Nicky Hayden's impressions from the last official MotoGP test of 2010, and develop the GP11 into a machine that will suit both Ducati riders needs.
During the MotoGP tests, Rossi finished 10th on Day 1, and 15th on Day 2; Hayden finished ninth on Day 1, and sixth on Day 2.
Filippo Preziosi says: "As the journalists put the most focus on the lap times it's quite clear that maybe Valentino has to adapt to Ducati, but mainly Ducati has to modify the bike to suit Valentino's needs."
To be optimistic I think we know the bike will work even without Casey, so we have to find the way to understand how to modify the bike in order to give Valentino Rossi the confidence to push."
During the 2010 MotoGP season, Hayden and then-teammate Casey Stoner used the "Big Bang" Ducati engine.
Rossi also discussed grip on the Ducati prototype, which is something Stoner struggled with during the 2010 MotoGP Championship.
Overall all, Preziosi said the MotoGP Ducati tests in Valencia meet his expectations.
"So there is a way to be fast, and sometimes people who have no experience of a top level MotoGP bike are in better condition to understand the bike."

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/sDAq5YURt_7/MotoGP+Gardner+not+overly+surprised

Akira Watanabe Adolf Weil Jake Weimer Jimmy Weinert Nick Wey