PICS: Pramac Ducati goes green for MotoGP 2010

Pramac Racing has unveiled a new livery for the 2010 MotoGP season.

Having previously raced in Pramac's red and white corporate colours, the satellite Ducati team confirmed a change of tact following a series of hint-dropping press releases containing the moniker 'Think Green' and the appearance of a logo bearing the words 'The Green Energy Team'.

Ironically, the new green livery and team philosophy was unveiled just before the start of the Qatar night test - which takes place on Thursday and Friday - an event which, like the season-opening night race at the same venue, requires a colossal amount of electricity.

'It will not be just an image matter, the colours will be visibly different from those of the past seasons, but there will be a series of activities that will try to keep the environment in which we live as "green" as possible,' said a Pramac statement.

'In this sense, the Pramac Racing team will use within their facilities on the MotoGP circuits, products that decrease the production of pollution energy and will organise a series of initiatives for our environment.'

"It's a great honour for us to begin this important project," said team principal Paolo Campinoti. "We hope that this can help to rise up awareness among millions of fans and followers of MotoGP, and not only, to be respectful for the world in which we live. We want and we can make a difference, every one of us, and during this season our Green Energy Team will try to make the difference with various eco-friendly initiatives."

Among the green initiatives will be the use of Pramac solar panels and wind turbines to produce energy for the team's hospitality and pit boxes, plus the use of some recycled or recyclable materials.

2009 Rookie of the Year Mika Kallio has been retained by Pramac for a second season, where he will be aiming to beat his best race finish of seventh - achieved during a temporary switch to the factory team in place of Casey Stoner - and substantially improve on a championship position of 15th.

Riding alongside Kallio will be Aleix Espargaro, who has been propelled into a full race seat thanks to four impressive rides - which brought a best finish of eleventh (twice) - as a substitute for Kallio and then the injured Niccolo Canepa at Pramac last season.

After winning MotoGP races with Makoto Tamada and Honda machinery in 2004, Pramac switched support to the d'Antin Ducati team for 2005, which it now owns and runs.

In 2009, the team was labelled as 'the Ducati Junior Team' by former factory MotoGP boss Livio Suppo, confirming Pramac's close ties to Ducati and role in developing young riders.