For Sale: Rossi’s and Stoner’s Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP Race Bikes

What do you get for someone who already has a Ducati Desmosedici RR replica? What about the real thing?

Ducati is auctioning a pair of actual MotoGP racebikes, the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 raced by Casey Stoner and a GP11 raced by Valentino Rossi. The race bikes were made available by Ducati Corse and will be offered under reserve at RM Auctions‘ 2012 Monaco sale, May 11-12 at the Grimaldi Forum.

“The release of two very special machines like these is an extremely rare occasion for us, so the lucky buyer must not only enter into a confidentiality agreement, but also become a close member of the ‘Ducati family’!” says Filippo Preziosi, Ducati Corse general and technical director. “The Desmosedici GP10 and GP11 were two very interesting bikes in our GP project history and therefore will represent exciting opportunities for serious collectors.”

Stoner rode his “CS1″ Ducati Desmosedici GP10 during off-season testing in December 2009 and February 2010 before competing with it in Doha, Qatar, for the 2010 MotoGP season opener.

The same machine was used in Stoner’s win at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island later that season, Stoner’s final victory as a factory Ducati rider. The CS1 also won third-place finishes at Assen and Catalunya and a second-place finish at Valencia in Stoner’s final race with Ducati. In total, the CS1 Ducati Desmosedici has logged 4,232 km (2630 miles).

Rossi’s GP11 was notoriously less successful than Stoner’s, as Rossi has still yet to record a race victory with Ducati. Nevertheless, the Doctor’s name value alone may push the bidding for his VR2 Desmosedici higher than Stoner’s race-winning machine. Rossi first rode the VR2 at the February Sepang tests in 2011 and raced the machine at the season-opener at Qatar.

The VR2 is also credited with Rossi’s first (and so far, only) podium with Ducati, a third-place finish at the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Rossi last raced on the VR2 at the Dutch TT at Assen, retiring with 2,342 km (1,455 miles) of use.

Also being auctioned is a collection of 100 classic Ducati motorcycles owned by former Ducati factory test rider, racer and dealer Carlo Saltarelli.

“Ducati represents the pinnacle of two-wheeled desirability with a reputation for world-beating performance and unmistakable design,” says Peter Wallman of RM Auctions. “We are very excited to be working with yet another leading manufacturer and to have this exclusive opportunity to offer items that are not normally available to the public. The sale offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire very unique pieces of Ducati history, not to be missed.”

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Saltarelli Classic Ducati Collection Up for Auction

By Dennis Chung