Testing boost for Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi’s bid to quickly master Ducati’s factory GP11 could be given a boost with MotoGP bosses contemplating increasing the amount of testing permitted ahead of next season.

Pre-season testing for this season was slashed to just six days as part of sweeping cost-cutting measures to counter the impact of the global economic crisis.

But MCN has learned that in addition to the traditional post race test in Valencia in November, one more test will be added to the pre-season schedule in 2011.

Earlier this year, Rossi and the MotoGP field tested twice at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia and once during the night in Qatar.

The schedule though could be heavily revised for 2011 with six days increased to eight and Phillip Island and Jerez put back on the pre-season plan.

A proposal submitted during last weekend’s Brno MotoGP race in the Czech Republic was for two tests to take place at Sepang, one at Phillip Island and one at Jerez.

Phillip Island was dropped off the testing in calendar after 2008 because of costs but also conditions during February in Australia’s summer are completely different by the time the race is staged in October.

Jerez was knocked off the testing schedule for 2010 despite being the traditional curtain raiser for the new season with a televised timed shootout for a BMW car the highlight.

Reigning world champion Rossi said: “I think there is already a plan for more testing next year. Everybody understands that like this it is not enough.

So we test less than half of what World Superbikes do. Before we had too much testing but now not enough.”

MotoGP bosses are also discussing a further increase in testing in advance of 2012 when new 1000cc rules are introduced.

Current testing restrictions would make it incredibly difficult for factories to test and develop their new 1000cc bikes. But it looks like more testing will be made available for 2012.