Rossi to Yamaha?

It is no secret Valentino Rossi has 2 options available: 1. stay in Ducati and hope Audi's cash injection can help tame the beast, or 2. go back to Yamaha and what he knows is a great bike but perhaps not the most attractive team mate.

Option 1 sounds good but Rossi has been with Ducati for nearly 2 years now and they have thrown the kitchen sink, in terms of human resources and cash at trying to win an all Italian World title. They have failed miserably to  give VR46 the bike he needs to be competitive. Throngs of cash will help but unlikely in the short term, and Vale's career only exists in the short term. He will have to move Filippo Preziosi sideways because this is the man who's technical vision has failed Ducati. The time required is not there to spend another year developing with Ducati. And Valentino's body wont enjoy another season of crashes. Bottom line losing hurts, crashing allot hurts, going from 1st to 10th hurts.

Option 2 back to Yamaha means admitting failure on Ducati and having to square up directly to a red hot Lorenzo, no excuses. 


In option 1 Rossi will escape any culpability for failure with the old Ducati are rubbish line, but in option 2 he will have to answer the critics or admit he is not what he used to be.


Money is not a factor for Valentino Rossi he has more cash than he can ever spend and both factories will pay him ridiculous amounts to ride for them.

The decision is simple and the decision is made, Rossi is a winner and he will answer the critics. Game on Jorge. Expect announcement at Indy.

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The American Nightmare

The balls of Ducati to have said they are not in a position to offer Nicky Hayden a new contract till the Audi deal is complete is astounding. They have already offered Cal Crutchlow a ride and are keen to keep the services of Rossi for 2013, in addition AMG have been removed as sponsor from all Ducati team clothing. So, Audi deal is probably not an issue anymore. I can't help but feel sorry for the kentucky kid he has stuck with the Ducati and nearly made it work ( for a few laps anyway ). He has performed better than the doctor at a large number of races in the past two seasons. But now seems likely to be left out in the cold just when they may (big may) turn a corner with the desmosedici.

Of course every teams wants Rossi , winning or losing he is the most popular rider of all time. The sponsorship meetings must be a little easier with VR in the stable. But will he stay? The next 3 weeks may be more interesting for what happens off the track than on it.

With Spies on tenterhooks at Yamaha, where is the love for the yanks?

My guess BMW or Suzuki.

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Wet Silverstone could confirm Rossi Ducati exit

                                                        Honda's VR46 NSR500 from 2001 

Its contract time in MotoGP and if Valentino Rossi is to exit ducati this year he will want to leave with at least a single victory for the Bologna factory. If it rains tomorrow at Silverstone it will be Rossi best chance of this elusive win.  He was indeed fastest in Friday wet practice with Nicky Hayden second.
Surely a win here would make his decision to leave Ducati all the more easy.

Where will Rossi go?
Lorenzo rather wryly stated he would welcome Rossi back to yamaha. A delighted Lorenzos new 2 year contract no doubt enhanced by Stoners early bath. Ben Spies will be unlikely to retain the Yamaha ride regardless of a Rossi move. Honda will be without Stoner, but most likely the rookie rule will be rescinded by Carmelo to allow golden boy Marc Marquez to step up to the honda factory team. But Pedrosa's ride is not guaranteed. He has been an 'alien' for many years but seems unlikely to win a championship for HRC.

Would Rossi take Honda back?
Rossi previously described HRC as  on a human level"cold, ice-cold". He has never forgiven them for reneging on a promise to let him keep the NSR500 he won the 2001 title on. HRC also reneged on a promise to allow his Dad Graziano to drive a test on the NSR in 2001. The way Valentino orchestrated a move to Yamaha with secret meetings in Ibiza and late night paddock meetings. The list goes on, but there is serious bad blood here and its unlikely in his final years Valentino would go cap in hand to HRC. And equally unlikely HRC would be knocking on his motor home.


The Ducati experiment has failed and the italian dream VR winning a championship on a Ducati will not happen, a single victory in the rain is possible and its the best they can hope for.  In Valentinos crew chiefs Jerry Burgess last year in MotoGP expect JB to be on the podium alongside Vale (weather permitting).

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Myths & Legends & Lorenzo King in Qatar

Jorge Lorenzo stormed the opening race of the 2012 season with a victory from the Honda's Dani Pedrosa & World Champion Casey Stoner. Stoner had led by over 2 seconds but in the final quarter of the race dropped back and was overtaken by both Lorenzo & Pedrosa with ease.

Stoner put his late race pace drop off down to an arm pump issue. I am not so sure, he has been highly critical of his team, and the bikes chatter issue this weekend, particularly when the tires begin to wear. These issues seem to to have been (magically) replaced by arm pump on race day. This smacks of a Casey coverup, he is saying to Honda I can win and will once you sort my chatter issue, and by the way I'll take the hit for this one with my 'arm pump' - lol. Probably feeling a bit remorse over his public slating of his team on Saturday night. I'll even throw in a dead arm can't lift trophy performance that the academy would surely consider oscar worthy.

Crutchlow had a good race with job rival Dovizioso losing out in there first head to head. Cal also thought he could have competed for podium if his legs were a bit longer. The spacer put in-between the tank and rider, meant he couldn't touch the ground properly at start.

Rossi had a nightmare. Its now official; he hates the Ducati. 'I can't win on this bike.' It doesn't get more explicit than that. He got pushed off track by Barbera and considered parking up, only out of respect for his engineers whom he wanted to gather more data for, did he continue. He looks a broken man, the fight is clearly draining from the 9 times world champion. His team boss Jerry Burgess is quoted as saying he (Rossi) may not be capable of fighting with Casey or Lorenzo anymore. This is complete rubbish, if he thought that they would all go home. This in my opinion is a clear kick up the arse for Rossi from the veteran crew chief, stop moping- yeah the bikes a bucking bronco, but Hayden can ride it, Stoner rode it. And most importantly this GP12 took 4 months, 25 engineers working round the clock to design and build, there is no other bike, there is no other team. So, ride or quit Vale!

Moto2 is going to be spectacular this year, Iannone is a nut job (Simoncelli style), Marquez is ridiculously talented and Luthi is fiery character. Add to this the fact that all of the other 29 riders are within 6 seconds of the front.

When Stoner has fixed his chatter ( I mean arm pump) and is in the shower 10 minutes before the 2nd place rider in MotoGP, I will be looking to Moto 2 for the real racing.

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