I hope Cal does get the factory Yamaha ride, as I already said I think he will. More than anything tho, I'd hate to see him go and prematurely end his career on a Ducati that doesn't work.
Err...I was thinking more of enforced ABS and traction control. I still don't trust them disc brakes...
Yeah, Poncharal has played a master stroke to pull his team upwards, two very hungry and talented riders fighting for one place in his team. You never know Bradley could be Andrea's team mate, while Cal moves on to bigger and better things. Here's hoping!
Apparently he crashed both his bikes over the w/end, and had to ride the race with a damaged chassis/frame
It had to come. You could look at it from 2 angles. One Rossi has just had enough or 2 Rossi feels he needs to go public to force their hand. I don't think it was much of a secret that the frame wasn't all that was requested for 2012, they wanted a change from the 90 degree motor. You can argue Casey won on it which is true but Casey is not on it now and VR is so there is no point building a bike only Casey can win on. They either needed to back the calls from JB and VR 100% or part company. Now it's too late unless that is in development because they won't change motor now. Barbara is a damn good rider but not setting the world alight. The fact is the bike has humbled 3 World champions and gelled with only 1. It would take a very brave Cal or Bradl etc to risk ending their career for a payout. Ducati need to make it work if they are to have a competitive future.
What a load of wollocks! Sack Him!! That move would haunt Ducati for ever. I quess bad Press like that would make Audi pull the plug!!
JB October 2010 Valentino! "Ignore Him at your peril" You may Slate Him but you will never get to see racing like this when He's gone! Rossi-Stoner Laguna Seca 2008 battle - YouTube Deep down inside Stoner wish's for more battles like this........ :wink:
Hi Steve, I remember VR doing that on the yamaha that nobody else could win on... And years later the M1 is still winning! :wink: I'm down staying with work at the end of the month.. picking up some bits from Pablo etc You up for a beer or two ? Steve
Total lockdown on twitter and other outlets from anyone connected with Ducati.....! Maybe they have caught wind of Coca Cola's dangle the carrot approach to Yamaha to support/sponsor a full factory ride for VR and co. Can you see Yamaha turning down $$$$$$ ? No brainer really!
heres something to think about what about loris when it had a trellis frame it was fastest thing on track maybe ducati should take a step back or maybe a mr t bayliss input to the bike 1st time on old gp bike & won the race .
I noticed Alex Briggs etc had said nothing in 24 hours. If you were Rossi you would be daft not to be exploring the possibilities elsewhere. If for no other reason than to see if Rossi can still cut it up front it would be worth watching. Where to for Ducati ? Early dayz but if they finish the season like this, might be able to persuade Spike Edwards to switch from the 848 and give it a go :biggrin: I have big respect for Nicky though, head down and sucking it up poor fella. Fastest Ducati but further away from the winner than 12 months ago.
It is eerily quiet, yes. They just can't know what to say. VR has had his PR face on for a year, but after that outburst he can't seriously go back to mouthing pieties about how they're playing the long game, looking to compete with the best of the rest for now, concentrating on incremental improvements. When he sees how well the Yamaha he walked away from is going he must want to weep. He helped to create a bespoke machine: all about rewarding smoothness, with front-wheel feedback, built around the turn-in. And he left it for its antithesis, a bike that only Stoner, with his rodeo rider on a steroidal bull instincts, could manage. The larger question is how far VR's abilities and appetites have declined. I'm not wholly neutral on this as I revere the man, but I think the data clearly supports the notion that on an M1 he'd still be at the sharp end. He was fastest in 5 out of 6 test sessions at the start of 2010, won the first race, then had the injury - evidence itself of greater fragility or pressure, perhaps - but beat Lorenzo at the end of that season as well. You can't tell me that the guy who was doing that at the end of 2010 is suddenly fit only for WSB. Or for example that he wouldn't be ahead of Crutchlow or Dovi on the same bike. In his boots I'd probably calculate that licking Lin Jarvis's boots would be pointless, and wishing there was an Italian owned and run team with access to a single works Honda, who might in the future prefer to have an Italian rider rather than a Spanish one. Oh, hang on...
Nah, balls to it .....SACK HIM!!!! Seriously though, I reckon if he stays around for a while longer and goes public again talking down the Ducati I think you'll find Audi will want him sacked themselves . They ain't buying Rossi, the Ducati brand whether you like it or not is a much bigger and well recognised brand than VR46 and they won't want that tainting by anybody. Besides, just because Rossi has lots of fans it dosnt mean they're all in the demographic of Audi or Ducati buyers, 99% of them just buy a yellow tshirt and hat so why would they care
I hope your right! If marlboro/phillip morris pull the plug and go F1 you can kiss goodbye to ducati staying in motogp. If Kwack and Suz can't afford it Ducati have no chance! Don't know if you knew but marlboro wanted stoner out and rossi in.
