Take an exclusive look behind the scenes at the Ducati Corse factory in Bologna to see what engineers and designers have been developing for the 2012 campaign in this very special video.

Gino Borsoi, Sporting Director of the Aspar Team, talked to motogp.com about the team’s objectives for the 2012 season, the development of their CRT prototypes and the introduction of the new format in the MotoGP™ World Championship.

Still not at 100 percent fitness, Nicky Hayden is preparing for his debut on the GP12 in Malaysia on January 31.

James Ellison is set to make a return to MotoGP™ for the 2012 season, aboard a CRT bike on the Paul Bird Motorsport team. motogp.com caught up with the British rider to talk about his reappearance in the premier class this time around.

The technical crew that will follow Moto2 Champion Stefan Bradl into his MotoGP™ debut flew to Japan to learn from HRC engineers how to "tame" the new Honda RC213V.

Colin Edwards is busy preparing for the 2012 MotoGP™ season which will see him aboard the new NGM Mobile Forward Racing team CRT bike. The Texan spoke with motogp.com ahead of the first test of the season at Sepang (January 31 through February 2) regarding his new ride.

The Barcelona team has called upon Robertino Pietri and Jordi Torres to join test rider Ivan Silva at Sepang in the absence of Yonny Hernandez, who is recovering from a hand injury.

The Gran Premio d'Italia TIM has been announced as the winner of the 2011 IRTA "Best Grand Prix" award, thus securing its fifth title from the Teams' Association since hosting a Grand Prix for the first time in 1976.

Czech rider Karel Abraham will ride a more powerful and faster bike for his second season in the MotoGP™ class. The new Ducati GP12 is powered by a 4-stroke, 1000cc 4 cylinder engine putting put 250HP and a maximum speed of 360 km per hour.

With the traditional winter break coming to an end, MotoGP™ teams and riders are about to tackle their pre-season testing schedule for the 2012 season.

The DeltaFin Lorenzini Kawasaki Team is currently taking part in two days of testing at the Valencia circuit in Spain, with riders Kenan Sofuoglu and Sheridan Morais both putting in as many laps as possible to get an idea of the set-up and electronics package of their official ZX-6R machines.

MoTec electronics represent the main change for the Italian team this year, after they had formerly used EFI systems. Sofuoglu and Morais did 60 laps of the track each yesterday, mainly in the warmer part of the day as temperatures overall were pretty cold. Poor track conditions following recent Formula 1 testing also made things difficult for the riders.

Unofficial times recorded by the team indicate a 1 minute 37.6 seconds for Kenan Sofuoglu, with South African Sheridan Morais clocking a best time of 1'38.1. The team has one more day of testing today, during which it will aim to improve the times as well as concentrating on long-run race simulations.

Last year's European Superstock 600 Champion Jed Metcher has officially put pen to paper in signing a one-year contract with the Russian RivaMoto team. The deal will see the 21 year-old Australian from Eltham, Victoria go head-to-head with some of the best riders in the upcoming World Supersport Championship. Metcher will join forces with two 38 year-old Russian riders, Oleg Pozdneev and Eduard Blokhin.

Team RivaMoto, who are currently based in Cartagena in Spain, but who will move to Bologna in Italy after round 1 at Phillip Island will have former 250/500cc racing star Jeremy McWilliams as team manager for the 2012 season.

"I am very excited about being involved with a developing team in the World Supersport championship. The idea of showing our sport on Russian soil is the underlying objective of the RivaMoto team but in the process my goal is to impress as much as possible in the Supersport class. It's an honor to work with Jeremy McWilliams and with his support I believe we have a chance to make an impact" said Metcher.

Jed Metcher's goals for the season will be a top 8 finish in the championship. In 2011 he scored 7 podiums in 10 races, two thirds, four seconds and one win at Aragon in Spain. "With the current direction of motorsport I cannot afford to have an up-and-down season" he added.

With only about 5 weeks to go before the opening round at Phillip Island, Metcher and his new RivaMoto team will have some time to iron out any bugs in the Yamaha YZF-R6 with a two day test in early February in Almeria, another two days at Jerez, then a four day test in Cartagena before the official test on the Monday and Tuesday on the week building up to the first round on Metcher's home soil.

"I have raced before in front of the big crowds at the 2008 MotoGP as a 125GP wildcard. I am looking forward to racing in World Supersport in 2012 in front of my home crowd mainly because I have the advantage of the track knowledge and it will be a great way to start off the season on a high"!

The new World Superbike team run by Andrea Petricca is set to line up in the 2012 championship with a new name as Ducati Roma has now changed to the Red Devils Roma Team. The change was made because of the Rome manager's fondness for a name that was important at the start of his career and his debut on the bike racing scene.

"Red Devils is a name that is familiar from the start of my career," declared Petricca, "and it brings to mind riders like Aldeo Presciutti who raced and won under this name. We decided to change so as also to be able to carry the name of our city around the world in an important season that will see us take part in one of the most prestigious championships in the world."

Rider Niccolò Canepa and the Red Devils Roma team will be at Vallelunga this weekend for a final two days of testing before leaving for Australia.

South Australian David Johnson will make a one-off wildcard appearance in the opening round of the 2012 FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, this February 24-26. The 28-year-old will compete on a BMW S 1000 RR under the Rossair AEP Racing Team banner. The S 1000 RR is a full blown ex-British Superbike machine, which Johnson (photo 2Snap) will ride for the first time at a Phillip Island test session on January 30.

"My primary goal at the world supers is to try and get into the points in both races," said Johnson, "and I'd love to be the first Aussie home, too. I'm familiar with the S 1000 RR, I've assembled a strong team to help me out, and I know Phillip Island like the back of my hand, so I am confident of making a strong impression. Troy Corser and Steve Martin, who are real BMW experts, have also offered to help me out over the weekend, which will be a great help."

Johnson was a former junior BMX champion before he started motorcycle racing at the age of 17 in 2000 on a 125 GP bike before graduating to larger capacity four-strokes, first in Australia and then overseas. Other than a two-year period racing in the Netherlands, Johnson has raced in the UK since 2002, with his best finish a fifth place in 2005 Superstock. Last year was a difficult one as he battled problems on a number of fronts, including injuries.

The Power Team by Suriano has signed an agreement with Alex Baldolini for the Italian rider to take part in the Supersport World Championship season on a second Triumph Daytona 675. Baldolini, who will team up with Vittorio Iannuzzo, raced in Moto2 until last season, scoring a best finish of second place. Despite being only 26 years of age, Baldolini already has a long international career to his name, competing in 125 and 250 from 2002 to 2009, before switching to Moto2. Now the Italian has decided to accept the challenge offered by Power Team by Suriano.

Technical director Antonio Suriano declared: "I am pleased to be able to count on the services of such a talented and experienced rider as Alex, who in my opinion still has a wide margin for inmprovement. I'm sure that once he gets used to the category, he will be one of the top contenders. For our part we will try and maximise our resources to ensure that he can fight for the top positions as soon as possible in a championship that looks to be particularly competitive and tough, given the high number of top riders on the grid".

Alex Baldolini added: "My aim is to give a turning-point to my career. I know I can score some good results and I'm counting on doing that this year on a Supersport machine. For sure as soon as possible I'll have to get used to the category, where unlike Moto2 electronics are used and the engines are more powerful, but at the same time the chassis and frame are production bike. I'm convinced the season will be one of improvement and I want to score some good results. For this reason I'd like to thank the team for their faith in me".

Crescent Suzuki has received its first shipment of performance parts from tuning partner Yoshimura as the World Superbike Championship team continues its preparations for the official tests and first race at Phillip Island in Australia at the end of next month. The team's first two Yoshimura developed engines and prototype "R-11″ exhaust systems that will be used by John Hopkins and Leon Camier arrived from Japan and the team has lost no time building the bikes and getting them ready for shipment early next month.

Said Team Manager Jack Valentine: "... We'll use these engines for our tests in the week before the official tests, but Yoshimura is also sending some more engines directly to Phillip Island. These should arrive in time for the first practice and are of a higher specification in readiness for the race. It's early days but we are very happy with the "Powered by Yoshimura" partnership; the guys out there are making a great effort.

"I spoke to John recently and his hand is coming along very well. He's been having regular visits to a hyperbaric chamber and that has helped quicken the healing process. John rode the last three rounds of the British Superbike Championship with no feeling in the part of the finger he's now had cut off and did pretty well, so we expect that he'll be right on it as soon as he gets on the bike. He's now started regular training again, but was pretty fit before the operation, so hasn't lost much time at all.... The bike design livery is being finalised at the moment and soon we'll be able to see a finished Crescent Suzuki GSX-R World Superbike and announce the team's 2012 partners, which is something we're all looking forward to."

The Almeria circuit in southern Spain was the venue for a couple of days of testing last week involving several teams that will be taking part in this year's Supersport World Championship. The main focus at Almeria revolved around the Performance Technical Racing PTR structure, with a full turn-out of its own directly-operated and customer team bikes, and the presence of all six riders signed for the upcoming season.

Despite the rigid winter climate, the test was a good opportunity for Mathew Sholtz (PTR Bogdanka Honda), Martin Jessopp (Riders PTR Honda), Patrick Jacobsen and Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda), to get to grips with their Supersport-spec Honda CBR600RR machines a month before the start of the season at Phillip Island.

The quickest testing time was recorded by Britain's Sam Lowes (PTR Bogdanka Honda, in the photo with Szkopek and Scholtz), in his second season with the team run by Simon Buckmaster. The 21-year-old from Lincoln's best mark was 1'38.6, while the other PTR riders were above the 1 minute 39 second mark, all of them already looking to be in good shape out on the track.

Polish rider Pawel Szkopek was also there with a Honda of the Bogdanka Racing Team, this year a separate organisation from PTR (despite the same sponsor) and which will be run by Michael Piasecki, team manager of Szkopek and James Ellison in 2011.

No times are available for the other Supersport riders who tested at Almeria. These included PRORACE Honda with Lukáš Pešek, Rivamoto, who will enter a trio of Yamaha R6 bikes for Eduard Blokhin, Oleg Pozdneev and reigning European Superstock 600 champion Jed Metcher, and finally Racing Team Toth Honda with owner Imre Toth and Hungarian Balasz Nemeth.

The Pata Racing Team, which will take part in the 2012 Superbike World Championship with Lorenzo Zanetti, was given its launch at the Motor Bike Expo show in Verona, Italy over the weekend. The team was represented by Marco Gobbi, Sporting Director and Pata Snack company owner.

The event, which was followed by the Expo visitors as well as guests and media, reached its high point when Lorenzo Zanetti unveiled the newly Pata-liveried Ducati 1198 with which he will be making his debut in World Superbike this year. Also on hand for the launch was Ducati Corse engineer Ernesto Marinelli, who joined the rest of the team on the stage.

Team manager Andrea Prando declared: "This presentation has been a great success and I'd like to thank everyone who has taken part. Our bikes are now ready and in a few days time they will be sent to Australia for the first round of the Superbike World Championship."

His words were echoed by rookie rider Zanetti, who this year will have the unenviable task of taking over from Noriyuki Haga in the Pata team. "It's important to know that there are people around who believe in me and I'd like to thank Pata for this great opportunity. I am aware that it's going to be a tough challenge and that I'll have to give my all and do what I do well, that is go fast on a bike: the years of experience of my new team will for sure help me in my job."

Pre-season testing for the Yakhnich Motorsport team has gotten off to an encouraging start with the completion of one of two test sessions planned in Spain for the end of January. The first took place from January 20-22 at Jerez de la Frontera with the second scheduled for tomorrow 24 January thru 27 at the Almeria circuit. In these two sessions the team will be aiming to complete set-up work on Vladimir Leonov's Yamaha R6 before the start of the FIM Supersport World Championship season at Phillip Island.

The talented Russian youngster required just a couple of runs in the morning of day 1 to find the right feeling with his bike and as soon as the track temperatures reached an acceptable level, he was able to lap constantly around the low 1 minute 45 second mark before putting in an impressive time of 1 minute 44.9 seconds, just three tenths of a second off the track's Supersport outright lap record.

On Saturday testing work slowed down in the afternoon due to an electrics problem, but Leonov was then able to improve on the Sunday when temperatures were around 20° C. The Yakhnich Motorsport man lapped comfortably under the 1'45 mark, ending up with an excellent time of 1'44.7.

Present in the pit garage, as team guest, was Randy Mamola, who said he was impressed by the ease with which Leonov was able to lap at a good pace on this track, not one of the world's easiest.

"We had a lot of work to do in these three days," declared Leonov, "and I am pleased with the progress I made with all the different suspension and engine set-ups we tested. Depending on our choice of set-up, I have to slightly change my riding style, but we are happy to find that everything works well. I would have liked to beat the track record, but we preferred to work on set-up details rather than go for a quick time. Let's hope we can conclude the testing work in the best possible way at Almeria".

Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz joined forces in the new-look Kawasaki Racing Team for a first 2012 test at Almeria in Spain on 19 and 20 January. The new initiative of a long winter test ban (brought in by the series organisers this season) has only recently ended and therefore the Almeria sessions gave the whole KRT effort an opportunity to get back together and enjoy some some valuable track time with the Ninja ZX-10R.

Sykes left with the best lap time, a 1 minute 34.6 seconds, while Lascorz took a 1'35.1s. Overnight temperatures fell to near freezing point but track conditions once the sun had come up each day were such that the riders and technical staff had a great chance to work through the many set-up options on the latest race version of the Ninja ZX-10R. The team will now take their optimum material and set-up data to the awesome Phillip Island circuit in Australia for two separate test sessions before the opening race weekend of the season.

Tom Sykes: "It went very well because we arrived at another kind of circuit compared to the ones we have tested at before and the bike worked well straight away. After a big winter lay off it only took me ten laps to go faster than I have ever been at Almeria. I was happy with that. After that it was a case of testing some small items we had requested from KHI. It was consistently around 15 degrees in terms of track temperature and the sun was shining, so we could not ask for any more in January. The track was in good condition as well, just a bit dusty off line."

Joan Lascorz: "We tested everything! It was cold in the mornings at Almeria but the track conditions were good and it was sunny each day, but there was some snow in the mountains around the track. This is the last test before we go to Australia so we decided the final direction of the machine set-up to take there and, in general, for the rest of the season. Tom and I have very a different machine set-up now but it is just to suit our different riding styles. The most important thing is that the difference between the fastest riders and the others in the races is that they get the tyres to last for the whole race distance. This is the most important thing."

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2012 AMA Supercross

JDR/J-Star/KTM team rider PJ Larsen has returned to riding for the first time since injuring his hand one week before the AMA West Supercross Lites Series kicked off.

Larsen, who has taken the past three weeks off from riding, began riding some local motocross tracks this week to evaluate the strength in his hand.

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Knox Motorcycle Gloves

British impact protection specialist, Knox, has developed a dual compound version of its patented, the Scaphoid Protection System (SPS).

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2012 BMW Motorcycle

Looking to give the G 650 GS series the same sort of off-road credibility that the larger GSes have, the new Sertão is designed for more rigorous dirt use than the standard 650 GS.

To that goal, the Sertão has longer- travel suspension with firmer settings, as well as spoked-wheels.

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2012 AMA Supercross Wallpaper

James "Bubba" Stewart earned his first podium of 2012 AMA Supercross, the Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha YZ450F rider finishing third Saturday evening in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles Supercross Injury Report

There was a scary moment during the first lap of Dodger Stadium Supercross in Los Angeles Saturday evening.

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2012 Auctions America Motorcycle Auction

The weekend of Jan. 12-14, Auction America by RM made its debut in Las Vegas, placing 490 vintage motorcycles and a range of memorabilia on the block.

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2012 AMA Supercross

Eli Tomac has a bright new addition to his GEICO Honda CRF250R motorcycle for this Saturday's Monster Energy AMA Supercross race at O.com Coliseum - the coveted red number plate.

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2012 AMA Supercross

In the first three rounds of the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship, the only rider to stand on the podium at every race was KTM's newest rider - Ryan Dungey.

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Harley-Davidson Road King Custom Frame

Paughco, the world's oldest and largest custom and reproduction frame manufacturer, has developed a unique product for Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycles - a Swingarm Frame.

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2011 Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Sales

On Tuesday, Harley-Davidson released its fourth-quarter and overall yearly financial report for 2011.

The Motor Company reports that 2011 fourth-quarter sales were up 10.9 percent worldwide over the same period of 2010, which includes an 11.8 percent increase in the US alone.

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