Buckingham-based chassis designers FTR have denied rumours they have been commissioned to design and build an aluminium frame for the Ducati MotoGP team after Filippo Preziosi hinted the Bologna outfit were looking at alternatives to their current setup.

Currently, the GP11.1 uses the engine as a stressed member with a carbon airbox and swingarm but Valentino Rossi is struggling to get enough grip from the front end even with modifications to the fork bottoms and stering head bearings which bring him further into line with Japanese-built rivals.

French journalist Thomas Baujard was told at Brno by a Ducati engineer that an outside firm had been commissioned to design and build a Deltabox-style frame because Ducati had no experience of doing so, while Motomatters.com (click here for their thoughts) also received similar information. Further inquries by bikesportnews.com saw the name FTR coming up again and again.

"We have had no contact from Ducati and we are not making any kind of frame, aluminium or otherwise for them. We have significant commitments with Moto2 and a CRT MotoGP team, plus we also have another commission with Norton for their Senior TT project for next season," said an FTR spokesman this morning.