Not behing funny but how many of us didn't quite enjoy the Ducati experience first time you rode your bike, I remember the first time rode my bike and I was a bit like , what have I done, and I had to modify my riding style to get used to it and now I love it, I know we not riding gp bikes but still a completely different ball game and VR finally realised that his not riding a jap bike and modifying his riding style is the way forward. I bet "hope" that we going to see 46 up there later on this year
Early laps were good, but i abused the tires way to much and when the track dried I had no chance to keep the pace. Nicky Hayden tweet
I agree with you it was a big shock to find I had no turning circle. I only had my learning bike to compare The E500 was a doddle to ride compared to the SS I'm not writing Rossi off yet I would like to think there is a way of riding a ducati and like us all it will take him time or maybe couple years to find his. Watching him I noticed the sting in all ducatis comes up and bites him sometimes.
I wouldn't say i didn't enjoy it but it was a very different feel for a bike. Not so easy to change direction quickly and corner speed is everything.
Tbh Rossi is THE bike racer, I wouldn't read too much in to the fact Ducati road bikes feel different as they'll be absolutely nothing like a GP12, he's known for ages about having to ride the bike differently and I'm surprised he's going over old ground once again but here's to hoping eh, the same media snippets are being used every week.
Thats what I said, it's nothing like gp bikes but their different to any other bike, and some love it some don't , Rossi doesn't have much choice. Finally I think Rossi is seeing the big picture and realising that's no everything gets handed in a silver platter , and believe me I want him to do well and win as much a you guys especially on a duke ;-)
Damo, Not sure if you follow anyone on twitter ? But Briggs had a bit of a go at journos this evening.... Saying, He will carry on making adjustments under JB's order!!!! He noticed posts stating Ducati will dictate what settings......... i for one thinks it's not a happy place in that garage at the moment ? As for VR, He is a master at dealing with journos, He keeps them in a job!! Can't see him changing his style at all but i can see him seeing out his contract and leaving.................! Why i say master at using the Journos is once again the big talking point in the news is not Stoners win or lorenzo's 2nd or pedders 3rd It's all about VR and ducati negative press!
And Rossi has finally gone with a Ducati setup. They have stopped trying to change the bike to suit his style, now he will try to change. 3hAlex Briggs@Alex__Briggs Reply RetweetedRetweet Delete FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details @motomatters Mmmm Really? 3hDavid Emmett@motomatters Reply RetweetedRetweet Delete FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details @Alex__Briggs want me to send you the audio? 2hAlex Briggs@Alex__Briggs Reply RetweetedRetweet Delete FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details @motomatters No thx I'm just fine with swinging on T bars, putting the settings in that JB wants. Thanks all the same. Alex Briggs age 43 1hDavid Emmett@motomatters Reply RetweetedRetweet Delete FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details @Alex__Briggs Fair enough. I clearly misunderstood what Rossi said, or what he meant.
I can't see him changing his style either tbh, if it he could / had the desire to do that he'd of done it ages ago. Im no racer but I can only assume after so many years at the top he'd find it almost impossible to get race comfortable and competitive if after all that time he needs to stop riding in a certain way, he's known for a certain style and the ducati simply isn't it. Sounds like there's very much a JB's team vs Ducati engineers squabble going on dosnt it. I agree though that VR is very likely to see out this last year with Ducati, I don't think he'll sign up for any more though and if it was easy to get out of his contract I still think he'd of walked by now. So With all that said I can't help but wonder if there was any proper thought process that went in to his appointment or was it simply a matter of Ducati wanting the PR dream and VR possibly over confident it wouldn't be such an issue adjusting? Where do they go from here? I mean in my view Rossi is now a very expensive under performing rider who's in a bad situation himself, that alone means he can't possibly now be the leading rider to develop your bike for as it'd simply be altering it just to suit him and get him up the results? So who takes the lead now? Ducati need to direct development in a direction but who's?
Has anyone wondered whether it might actually be JB who doesn't understand the Ducati rather than Rossi?
I don't think it's as simple as shifting blame from one to the other imo Rossi is the rider, in that his job is to ride the bike and give feedback that can be translated in to alterations to set up JB's job is to decipher that feedback and feed it in to the team of mechanics Rossi & JB understand each other perfectly, any further Italian team members will also understand Rossi too as no language barrier exists. I think the problem lies with either Rossis reluctance to adapt style or inability to do so, that's why everybody has thrown more changes to the bike so it feels more like what Rossi is used to I think they both rightly or wrongly had so much confidence in themselves that they didn't perceive the move to be a problem, obviously that's a misjudgement and now all that past experience dosnt count for a great deal unfortunately I just think Rossi is too long in the tooth and too used to certain feel from bikes he may be too past it to make the adjustments himself so no matter what tweaks ducati do unless they make him a Honda or Yamaha he'll struggle.
Think there might be too much being read into a lot of it. Confidence is everything, hence Spies is way off the pace, he didn't get crap over night nor is his Yamaha yet he is slower than Rossi. As bikers we all know how you struggle to ride something that you have little confidence in and they are no different. 1% off the pace is 10th.
Rossi is a rider on his way out... he's had all he can have... probably N1 of all times included... so he went to Ducati to ride a bike that did not suit him.. than had him made a bike that Ducati has never made. So doesn't understand ( what does DC know about aluminium frames?) And now that the genie does not come out of the bottle, he's looking even more at the door... there is no Nr1 place for him at Yam or Honda. For ducati : they lost 2 years listening to VR and co and are now stuck with a bike that will become the rarest of breeds:" The only 4 alu frame built ducatis in history". Nicky Haydn does have the heart left to take this bike to the edge. Rides the living daylight out of it. Just to see that it can keep up for 7 laps if he burns his tires and then falls behind once they let go... what's up the road: 1. A bike that DCorsa cannot relate to. Like a Afghani cook making pasta... 2. A top rider who is no longer interested the way he should be if he wants to win.. why risk dying, or major injury at 15mil a year and 9 world titles. (The Doctor learned a lot since he saw his doctor in 2010?) 3. 6 very motivated and capable competitors that are extremely happy to stay where they are. Or in Cal s case : move up to YAM factory team 4. no upcoming talent to replace him, no attractive package to draw in top riders.. 5. the only guy who could have been up to the challenge on talent, balls, heart and charisma to make the fans happy while loosing died last year... Audi will soon have their say: Bye bye VR and Co back to WSBK would have loved to see him win. But i guess it will never happen... So back to basics : "Go Carlos, Go!!!"
Agree, I think it's time for Ducati to leave MotoGP (at the end of the season) and concentrate on WSB and domestic championships. IMHO I just don't see how they can match the resources of the Japanese. As for VR, as a fan of his it saddens me to seeing him as he is now, don't know if he's still carrying an arm-shoulder injury, but either switch teams or retire.
That I'm afraid is wishful thinking, Rossi hasn't got any injuries and we'd all know about them if he did as it the easiest excuse for both parties. Regards to other teams I can only think gresini might take him but not factory with either Honda or Yamaha, even gresini is a long shot as it'll be end of the season before he'd be allowed to move by Philip Morris and I'd of thought Marquez was penciled in for that factory supported Honda ride before Rossi as he can't go straight to repsol colours. I personally don't want him to get a seat in a satellite team (factory supported) as its taking a seat that the youth deserve and there's some great talent coming through Moto 2, that's just stupid giving up that slot even for Rossi's final hurrah.
Who's to say Audi will lay the blame with Rossi. Of all the guys that have ridden it only 1 made it work. You can credit Hayden for riding it like he stole it but it counts for nothing if it's only for 7 laps, what's the point in that, it's just bad race craft. The facts are The bike is difficult to ride, it's been proved by everyone who rode it including Stoner. how many times has he eaten gravel on the Honda. You can blame Rossi for underestimating the task and JB blah blah blah but the bike don't work like any other in the paddock. Credit stoner for riding it as he did but no one else has been able to so there is something not right. That is the root problem and it is a Ducati problem and no one with top talent or other options in Motogp is going to want to end their career trying it out. You could be a hero but odds say you are watching your career go down the toilet. Do you think Hayden would still be there if he had a better option. They either sit down and put their heads together and be prepared to be radical if they want to make it generic or accept mediocraty or pull out. None of us know what the hell is really going on behind the scenes so let it play out.
I'm not saying he has, only that he may be, and believe it or not, the riders aren't always vocal about carrying injuries, not if they want to continue racing.
