Breaking News : Rossi wants to ride Ducati

[BlackHonda]

Rossi wants to ride Ducati

 

 

November 13, 2007

 

MOTOGP superstar Valentino Rossi threatened to chase a ride in the Ducati team of Australian world champion Casey Stoner unless Yamaha gives him a faster bike.

And Ducati has refused to rule out talks with the disenchanted Italian, despite confirming both Stoner and Marco Melandri for the next two years.

 

Rossi is furious with his under-performing Yamaha after finishing third in the world championship behind Stoner and Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.

 

He is contracted to the team he won world titles for in 2004-05 for a further season but has warned if things don't improve he will look for another seat.

 

Rossi has already decided to switch to Bridgestone for 2008, the same rubber used by Stoner.

 

"All the Japanese manufacturers underestimated Ducati this season," Rossi told La Gazetta dello Sport.

 

"Ducati was intelligent and aggressive and worked better. We were competitive with Honda but they had the money and people required to catch up (to Ducati) more quickly.

 

"This is where Yamaha has been lacking.

 

"Yamaha has never had the quickest motorcycle but this year we were 15-20 km/h slower and every time we have tried something new it has broken," Rossi said.

 

"We need to make big changes to win the title again - we need more capable people and more money."

 

Ducati team boss Livio Suppo immediately declared his support for Stoner - who he wants to ride for Ducati long-term - and Melandri but was clearly interested in Rossi's comments.

 

"I can certainly say that from some fringes of our fans we get the request, or rather the desire, to see Rossi on our bike, in order to come up with a fight with Stoner on truly equal footing," Suppo told autosport.com.

 

Stoner said during the Australian grand prix at Phillip Island that his relationship with Rossi had deteriorated since he started beating the five-times world champion, but Suppo hinted that would not prevent the pair being teammates eventually.

 

AAP

[GuiNNeSS]

Ultra bright fluorescent yellow Ducatis anyone?

 

Rossi is sounding more and more like a whining looser. The Rossi I had in mind will never sour relationships with fellow riders just because he lost. Fair and square too, not that Stoner was cheating or causing others to crash out.

[GrimReaper]

I agree, I am a rossi fan, but whenever i hear this sort of whinnying from him it just makes me sad. Stoner took his win this year fair and square. He is a very composed rider. Also he is very skillful, not just the bike alone will win you races, look at his ducati partner. Agree yamaha has a weeker engine. But well take that up with the yamaha engineers then. He moved from honda to yamaha cos he wanted to show he can win on a weeker engine. Now that someone has won him on a stronger engine, someone is complaining. Hiaaazzz. The rossi i supported from 125cc is no longer. Hmmm maybe its time to support lorenzo, stuck up guy, i know but hey, he is still a small boi.

[cagiva03]

Been seeing reports like these turning up lately.... But i dun blame him too. He's just another human being... Who would want to see the championship title slips away...Especially when he knew (we all knew) that he is riding on a slower machine this year. Guess it would be better to vent out his anger, so that the team yamaha can do something about it, then 2008 and 2009 seasons would be great to watch!

[spiderman]

If he does go to ducati then its a fair fight.

[GuiNNeSS]

No if he goes to Ducati it will be the end of MotoGP because all you're going to see is a yellow helmet guy on a red bike toying with the entire grid, then finally doing the 'highly calculated doctor' move and steal the show...

 

I hope lorenzo brings some insanity to the now bland MotoGP races.

[jB]

Ultra bright fluorescent yellow Ducatis anyone?

 

Rossi is sounding more and more like a whining looser. The Rossi I had in mind will never sour relationships with fellow riders just because he lost. Fair and square too, not that Stoner was cheating or causing others to crash out.

I'll be in love with ducati if that comes out I already like the m1 in black(carbon fibre i think) and florescent yellow..darn nice..

If he does go to ducati then its a fair fight.

yup..and your helmet+bike darn cute, if only your suit is that design too

[Guest limpeiwah]

ducati did a great job with casey stoner's bike. casey stoner did a god like job of winning. compare his times with capirex's

[kingpet47]

its nt abt being slow..... its abt gettin DNF too many times also...if i were Rossi, i too will be pissed havin to stuck wif a suck up machine most of the time.

[AsHaRiE]

well.. i think rossi has his fair share of podium moments.. its about time sumone took it away from him..it'll be damn bored if he keeps winning every year.. its like... why watch motogp when rossi is gonna win anyway.. keke.. its about time we give our support to those unsung warriors at the lower end of the victory chart..

[Wayang]

actually its strange.. i like to see rossi struggle.. goes to show how gd he realli is.. i'm expectin him to overcome all obstacles but his whinin is gettin unbearable..

[NoLogicOne]

In fact, I kindda agree with Wayang. These couple of years had seen Rossi doing his spectacular things in the track, but lots of them unsuccessfully. Instead of the "have it all my way" Rossi on the Honda and early Yammies yrs.

[Non Stop Racing]

i think ross is piss. he try his best to cut time on corners and put in so much effort. only to lose it all away in the straights to duke.

[xjrredbull]

If Rossi really leave, then, its the end of the Yamaha era...

[NoLogicOne]

i think ross is piss. he try his best to cut time on corners and put in so much effort. only to lose it all away in the straights to duke.

 

Get over it, it's no longer Dukes....it's Honda. You never noticed how strong the Repsol Hondas are? Next year I would say Honda would give Ducati a run for their money. Not to say that Honda will clean sweep the grid, but probably the image of Ducati blasting over everyone on the straights will not be common.

 

Michelins are getting their act together. The last race is an example of what could go wrong when Stoner had the wrong tyre choice while Dani had the better choice. Anyone could still own Ducati.

[spy622]

its nt abt being slow..... its abt gettin DNF too many times also...if i were Rossi, i too will be pissed havin to stuck wif a suck up machine most of the time.

 

I agree with u...Look at the DNF for the pass 2years and out of all these how many were problems with the bike n how many were due to Rossi's mistake??

 

the last race both last year n this year all drama man

[seal]

Is there not the possibility that the press is playing it up? Unless Rossi says so in a live interview, what's quoted in the written media should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt.

 

The press has a penchant of quoting out of context misleading people. But that's what makes stories interesting. I'm not sure about deteriorating relationships, but I do see Rossi offering his hand to Stoner when the latter wins and actually complement him "live" during the post race interviews.

 

In any case not many would gush over their no.1 rival.

 

[eyz]

Michelins are getting their act together. The last race is an example of what could go wrong when Stoner had the wrong tyre choice while Dani had the better choice. Anyone could still own Ducati.

 

cud it be stoner lettin rossi to win on purpose, so tat rossi will get 3rd in the championship?

 

it wud be interesting to watch stoner winning rossi fair and square, to silence all critics once and for all.

[NoLogicOne]

cud it be stoner lettin rossi to win on purpose, so tat rossi will get 3rd in the championship?

 

it wud be interesting to watch stoner winning rossi fair and square, to silence all critics once and for all.

 

Doubting Stoner that he let Pedrosa get the win on purpose, is to doubt Rossi's incapability to score 1 solitary point to seal his own 2nd position. We are talking about professional racers here, racing on world level.

 

Rossi pit in because of mechanical DNF, not because he could not endure the pain, showing physically strength of not only being able to score the 1 point needed, but even shown potential to move up in positions before the unfaithful failure of the YZF-M1.

 

To see Stoner winning Rossi fair and square? Frankly speaking, when Kentucky Kid won last year, many people did not give him credit, sling mud at his poor adaption to the 800cc and contribute Nicky's success to be more of mere luck. This year, Stoner had been up front most of the time, but yet the same crap talk about not winning Rossi "fair and square" existed.

 

So probably people want to see Rossi race Biaggi in WSBK "fair and square"?

[-tRuSt-]

stoner,ducati and bridgestone is a good package... hope to see yamaha improving its bikes...

[biking nomad]

I think if you read the quote from Rossi i think his frustration comes not from having a slower bike but from the fact nothing much is being done to improve the bike.

 

He probably knows better how much resources his team are putting in I do recall reports that Yamaha is using the same bike for the 08 season. Also, he says that every time we have tried sth new it hasn't worked well.

 

And apart from having a fast bike its a huge psychological boost to the rider and a dread to competitors if your factory is able to run a reliable bike that doesn't fail you at the critical times.

 

That's missing in Yamaha.

[Shark]

I think if you read the quote from Rossi i think his frustration comes not from having a slower bike but from the fact nothing much is being done to improve the bike.

 

He probably knows better how much resources his team are putting in I do recall reports that Yamaha is using the same bike for the 08 season. Also, he says that every time we have tried sth new it hasn't worked well.

 

And apart from having a fast bike its a huge psychological boost to the rider and a dread to competitors if your factory is able to run a reliable bike that doesn't fail you at the critical times.

 

That's missing in Yamaha.

 

 

Couldn't agree more...

[eyz]

Doubting Stoner that he let Pedrosa get the win on purpose, is to doubt Rossi's incapability to score 1 solitary point to seal his own 2nd position. We are talking about professional racers here, racing on world level.

 

Rossi pit in because of mechanical DNF, not because he could not endure the pain, showing physically strength of not only being able to score the 1 point needed, but even shown potential to move up in positions before the unfaithful failure of the YZF-M1.

 

i beg to differ. thou they are in the professional races, tat really doesn't mean they will have wat it takes to uphold the integrity of the race. furthermore, it's really difficult to not have any personal feud or rivalry, using of underhand tactics or secret agenda between these competitors/manufacturers in any competitive sports.

 

the reason why tis kind of scenario came to my mind was after readin tis article http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22576591-5012433,00.html

 

stoner mentioned rossi that he and rossi are not really on good terms. i was thinkin wat was the rationale of stoner mentionin his personal encounters with rossi, it cud be tat he was really upset and doesn't wish to end up like max or sete, or he simply wanna let the world know how petty rossi is.

 

and if stoner is really resentful about it. i thot the best way to get back at him is like wat ya'd said, by displayin the many many times world champion incapability to score 1 solitary point to seal his own 2nd position. ouch.. tat'll really be very painful.

 

hehe well.. tat's jus my imaginative analysis of the final race. take it as some form of entertainment

 

without a doubt, i do agree nicky and stoner won rossi fair and square.

[NoLogicOne]

i beg to differ. thou they are in the professional races, tat really doesn't mean they will have wat it takes to uphold the integrity of the race. furthermore, it's really difficult to not have any personal feud or rivalry, using of underhand tactics or secret agenda between these competitors/manufacturers in any competitive sports.

 

Shun Zhi's Combat Tactics? Speculating is the proof that MotoGP has a large fanbase, and we are crazy enough to be talking and talking, guessing and guessing about what's in, what's out, cuz we simply love it! Even the move to Bridgestones for Rossi was seen as a delibrate move to shut himself from Lorenzo rather, lol.

 

Well, Dani did ride the wheels off his Honda on that last race though. so good job to him too.

 

But then again, Stoner still have his biggest challenge yet -----> Defending the World title, which Nicky failed to do so. It would not be any easier, as Nicky and Stoner had shown beating Rossi is possible, and there are more hungry contesters.

[kish_garfield]

Stay with honda then every fine and dandy mah...