Yamaha: Rossi can test Ducati at Valencia
Yamaha has told Valentino Rossi that he can make his Ducati MotoGP debut at the end-of-season Valencia test.
Rossi required permission from Yamaha to take part in the post-race test, since he is still under contract until the end of 2010.
Yamaha initially indicated that they might be 'unable' to let Rossi ride the Ducati before 2011 due to contractual agreements.
But since all riders - except Rossi when he left Honda in 2003 - have been released for such post-season tests, albeit in plain livery, Yamaha risked a PR disaster if it stuck to the letter of the contract.
Rossi always publically insisted that his good relationship with Yamaha would pave the way for an early contract release, and factory boss Masao Furusawa gave him the good news this weekend.
"I spoke this morning to Furusawa," GPone.com reports Rossi as telling the media in Australia, "and he gave me the go-ahead to test the Ducati in Valencia. Yamaha appreciates what I have done for them."
Rossi has taken four of his seven MotoGP world championships and 46 of his 79 race wins for Yamaha.
The Italian superstar will ride for Ducati in 2011 and 2012 - and looks certain to take crew chief Jerry Burgess and his mechanics with him.
Ben spies will replace Rossi at the factory Yamaha team, alongside 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
The 2010 Valencia season finale takes place from November 5-7.
Italian website Motosprint claims that Ducati will offer Rossi both a 'Big Bang' and 'Screamer' engine firing order to try at the test.
