Ducati Corse techincal director Filippo Preziosi decided to bring forward the GP11.1 project in order to develop next year's MotoGP bike further and also to give Rossi something more competitive to race this weekend.

The Desmosedici godfather reckons the GP11.1 is an important step towards a good setup for the rest of the year but tsays he new gearbox is something that will provide improvements immediately. It is only Rossi that will use the new systems as Nicky Hayden is already on his fourth engine out of six but he will use it at Laguna Seca.

“We decided to make the GP11.1, which is an 800cc engine in a GP12 chassis, in order to accelerate development on next year’s bike, and also to provide our riders with a potentially better base for the current championship," he said.

"Considering that Valentino still hasn’t ever ridden the GP11.1, this decision could require some races for the team to completely take advantage of its potential, but we decided to move forward with it because we believe it’s an important step for our development process.

"The next-generation gearbox, on the other hand, is a solution that we think will be an immediate improvement. The Ducati Corse Department will continue studying further innovations, both for this year and for 2012. At the same time, we have developed an additional step for the frame for Nicky, and he’ll receive the GP11.1 at Laguna Seca.”