Much speculation has surrounded the recent testing session that Valentino Rossi, and Ducati test rider Franco Battaini, conducted at Mugello this week – with many rumours hinting that a new aluminium chassis was a key part of the testing programme.

None of that is confirmed, and this is the press release that Ducati have released concerning the test – read it below:

For the final day of a three-day test at Mugello, Valentino Rossi joined the Ducati Test Team to work on developing the 2012 race bike. In doing so, he utilized the sixth of eight days during which factory riders may participate in such outings.

The Italian was kept busy trying an updated electronics package and chassis, turning a total of 82 laps in conditions that were sunny but not overly hot. Rossi had a fall on the exit of the Scarperia-Palagio section during the third lap of his first outing in the morning, but it didn’t affect the team’s work, which continued until 6:30 p.m.

Filippo Preziosi and Vittoriano Guareschi were in the garage to follow the test, and official test rider Franco Battaini, who had ridden the two previous days, was with Rossi on the track. “It was an interesting day, although it was also quite long, because we rode until 6:30,” Rossi said after the test. “Developing a bike requires a lot of focus and effort, but it’s also very exciting and fulfilling to be part of a group of people pushing as hard as it can in the same direction. Today we confirmed various aspects of the GP12’s electronics and chassis, collecting a lot of useful information for Filippo and the guys in the factory. I think that the work is well underway as we prepare for our next steps.”

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