Valentino Rossi is not scared of his potential at Ducati despite the shock of his slow pace during his debut with the red team from Bologna at the Valencia post-season test.

The message comes from crew chief Jerry Burgess who warns against writing off the chances of Rossi and Ducati being contenders for the 2011 world championship.

Burgess was quick to defend the setback of Rossi's 'bad' result in last month's first test with Ducati in Valencia after seven seasons with Yamaha.

While admitting it was unusual to see Rossi in 15th place, he says there were plenty of positives to take from the test.

Rossi's weakened physical condition and the Ducati's unique riding demands were key factors according to Burgess. As a result, the racing legend was 1.7 seconds off the pace set by his former Yamaha teammate and 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

But Burgess says that it would be unwise to dismiss the chances of 31-year-old Rossi adding to his tally of seven MotoGP world titles.

"Anyone who bets against Valentino and Ducati next year better have a lot of money in their pocket; I am confident he will be on the pace," Burgess said. "Being fast is great for newspaper headlines but our focus is to make sure we are in a position to start winning races in Qatar next March.

"The Ducati is a different tool for the same job. We have seen what Casey Stoner can do on the bike -- there's nothing there that really scares us.

"It's a big job no doubt, but I'm confident we will be on the money."

Both Rossi and the Ducati GP11 need remedial worked for the combination to be at their peak. Rossi has already undergone surgery to repair tendon and ligament damage in his right shoulder, an injury that has weakened him since April. He is currently undergoing rehab at home in Italy and is working towards being fit for the opening test of 2011 at Sepang in February.

The work on the bike may take a little longer but clearly Ducati are willing to do anything to justify the signing of superstar such as Rossi.