It rained today in Jerez. Boy did it rain. The heavens were open for much of the day, with the intensity of the rain varying between a light drizzle and an absolute deluge, sending people scurrying for cover when the skies darkened too much.

A few brave souls ventured out to put in laps, but they did not last very long in the conditions. Until around 3pm, that is, when the rain let up, at least for an hour or so, and everyone took to the track. For two hours, testing was at full tilt, before the rain returned to chase most of the MotoGP men back into the pits.

Though having that much rain is hardly what the riders ordered, it still has its advantages. “It’s good to be able to test on a fully wet track,” Wilco Zeelenberg said after testing. “Normally, it’s that half-wet, half-dry stuff, which is hopeless.” Real work could be done on a wet set up, and lessons learned for 2013.

I just arrived back in California, after spending the last few days in Austin, Texas — taking part in the Ducati 1199 Panigale R international press launch at the new Circuit of the Americas race course.

As I put the finishing touches on my reports about Ducati’s new homologation-special, as well as the newest MotoGP circuit in the United States, I thought I would share a view not too many track day enthusiasts will get a lap to see: a lap around the Circuit of the Americas.

Unless you are one of the few lucky riders who will attend the very limited number of events COTA has to honor this year, riding on this purpose-built GP circuit is going to be an expensive proposition.

That is a real shame because the Circuit of the Americas is a first-rate facility, and once you get the hang of this very-unstraight-forward track, COTA is a very rewarding course to ride on two wheels.

Giving us a little teaser of what we will be riding tomorrow, the folks at Borgo Panigale are hoping the newest iteration of their namesake, the Ducati 1199 Panigale R, lives up to the expectations assembled here in Austin, Texas.

The lightest sport bike ever from Ducati, the Panigale R comes with a few changes from its base model and “S” predecessors, namely the inclusions of titanium con-rods, a lightened flywheel, DLC-coated rocker-arms, a four-point adjustable swingarm pivot-point, a 500 rpm rev boost, and a bit more power (courtesy of a full-system race exhaust and ECU).

These engine improvements are said to give the Ducati 1199 Panigale R a 201hp peak-horsepower figure, a modest 6% gain up top, but also a 15% increase in the midrange, something the other models noticeably needed. Meanwhile, the adjustable swingarm is said to improve the chassis considerably…all things we will have to see for ourselves tomorrow morning.

More A/V candy on the 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale R awaits after the jump. Ducatisti enjoy.

The international press launch for the Ducati 1199 Panigale R is taking place this week, and the world’s top motorcycle-journalists are lapping Bologna’s latest bullet around the new Circuit of the Americas race course outside of Austin, Texas.

Helping make the occasion extra special, MotoGP riders Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies are in attendance, doing what they do best on two wheels. Since the two Ducati riders did not participate in the private test at Austin, that HRC and Yamaha Racing held last week, this photo-op was their first outing on the track.

Asphalt & Rubber will be swinging a leg over the Panigale R on Thursday, which means we have two painfully long days until we can see the machine in person. There are 101 hi-res snaps after the jump, taken by the great Gigi Soldano, Marco Campelli, Andrew Wheeler, and Scott Jones (yes! the Scott Jones!).

In a teleconference hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Nicky Hayden hopped on a phone with a bunch of paddock journalists to talk about the pre-season testing, the plan for the 2013 season, and the changes to the Ducati Corse MotoGP team.

A development year for the Italian team, Ducati will have four riders on factory equipment to pull data and input from, as the the Bologna Brand hopes to take the fight back to the Japanese OEMs in coming seasons.

Candid as always, you can read the full transcript of the teleconference after the jump.

As was predicted, Ducati Motor Holdings has posted a very impressive 2012 sales report, with 44,102 motorcycles being delivered to customers last year. Appeasing its new German owners, Ducati also grew 16% in revenues over its 2011 figures.

Perhaps more importantly, the American market has solidified its position as the brand’s most important market (the US market posted 21% sales gains as well). With this news, 2012 now officially marks Ducati’s high-water mark in terms of yearly sales figures. Swish.

Ok, so we here at Asphalt & Rubber may sort of have a growing crush on the Pierobon X60R, an Italian-made sport bike that features an 1,078cc air-cooled Ducati v-twin motor that is wrapped around the company’s custom aluminum tube frame.

Your answer to a light air-cooled track weapon, the Pierobon X60R is quite the looker too, and given its power plant pedigree, sight and touch aren’t the only senses it pleases. Check the exhaust note (powered by Termignoni) after the jump.

Formerly General Manager of Ducati Corse, and left largely to blame for the Italian company’s recent short-comings in the MotoGP Championship, Filippo Preziosi has resigned from Ducati Motor Holding, just ahead of his transition into the role of  Ducati’s Director of Research & Development.

Officially citing reasons of poor health for his departure, many following Preziosi’s situation will however see his resignation as the logical conclusion to a two-year debacle that saw Valentino Rossi noticeably unable to compete with the other factory riders, and go winless for the two years he was with the Italian manufacturer.

After an absence of some three weeks or so, the MotoGP teams once again return to action at Sepang for the second official test of the pre-season. The intervening period has seen a flurry of activity in the factories in Japan and Italy, and at CRT team headquarters around Europe.

The data accrued on the first visit to the Malaysian circuit has been analyzed, assessed, and more modifications made and ideas worked out for the second Sepang test. So what can we expect to see in Malaysia for the next three days? And what are the key details to keep an eye on?

Ducati is getting ready for the international press launch of the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard in Ronda, Spain this week, which means we have a bevy of photos to share with you. Dropping its air-cooled dual-spark v-twin motor for an 821cc water-cooled lump, the 2013 Ducati Hypermotard is a truly a brand new model, from the ground up.

Getting cross-polinated with some of the design features found in the Ducati Multistrada 1200, the new Hypermotard really is a middleweight option to its bigger-displacement counterpart, though it still retains a presence of its own. Powerful and light, the Ducati Hypermotard continues to be a two-wheeled hooligan machine with enough suspension to soak up the bumps along the way.

We think Ducati did a nice job of retaining the Hyper’s unique character, while fitting the model into the company’s current motorcycle range and long-term goals. Of course, we haven’t gotten to ride one, and since we’re not in Spain this week, it looks like we’ll have to wait for the bike’s arrival at dealerships in March. Until then, there are 165 high-resolution photos waiting for you after the jump, enjoy.