Cobbett: Are you sure? I read that he made almost double going to Yamaha? I'll pull out that article again to verify. I get easily upset with those who have no loyalty. Example...I love hockey. My hometown favorite has been the Blackhawks all my life. My uncles new Chris Chelios and many years ago at a news conference he swore he'd retire a Blackhawk. He was the captain too! Not even the next season he signed with Detroit. I mean REALLY??? Not LA, Dallas, Ottowa, but DETROIT! The most hated team of a 'Hawks or Ave's fan. I realized then that too many were loyal to money NOT to other things. Some have proved me wrong (athlete's) and a lot of respect for them. Rossi really gets under my skin. He is everything I'd despise. In another life I'd love to wipe that smirk off his face on the track...lol!
I doubt you'll find it. Rossi took a huge and widely reported pay cut in moving from Ducati to Yamaha. Yamaha knew he was desperate to get off the Ducati, and that they wouldn't have to offer much; also, they did not want to aggravate Lorenzo by offering Rossi more than him. Here for example is the coverage by the hugely respected MotoGP journalist David Emmett: This Time For Real: Yamaha To Announce Rossi Signing On August 15th | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks "Rossi will be taking a massive pay cut to return to Yamaha." Or the BBC's coverage @ BBC Sport - Ducati: Where did it go wrong for Cal Crutchlow's new team? 'That two world champions couldn't win a single race spoke volumes and it was no surprise Rossi rejoined Yamaha when his contract ended, taking a huge pay cut in order to "enjoy" racing again.' Or if you prefer the US coverage: Valentino Rossi to Leave Ducati for Yamaha - Motorcycle USA 'the Italian superstar will take a significant pay cut to join the team and will be filling the seat vacated by American rider, Ben Spies' Of course no one needs to worry about VR's bank account, even after the Italian tax authorities claimed their dues from it. But Rossi is a pathologically competitive animal. He moved from the dominant Honda to Yamaha in 2004 because he wanted to show people it was the rider and not the bike. If anything the most obviously financially motivated move he's made was joining Ducati, not leaving them. Personally I'm glad he did, because at that stage in his career he could not afford to wait for them to get it right. Hayden showed Ducati loyalty - but Ducati didn't show him any back. It's a business.
It's not a stuffed bear, but close, a puppy! Ducati Corse Cagnetto Peluche Cucciolo Piccolo Animale Farcito 15 cm | eBay
Winter riding: Met this guy when I lived in Victoria BC Canada. He was a salesman at the BMW dealership there. Every winter on Jan. 1 he would drive coast to coast, Victoria BC to Halifax NS. Then he rode to Alaska... in winter. Braver than me. Paul "The Iceman" Mondor - Home Oh, a pic of my (pedal) bike at the side of my driveway. 749S is apart right now or woulda rolled it out to show the snow banks. No riding for a bit...
W Went to Sicily last Whitsun. Great weather, great food, great roads... Sadly, the 999 was left at home though :/
