MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Though after Laguna it seemed more likely than ever, it's still a shock. The dream is over. Anxious to see how he will fare next year. Sparks will fly between Lorenzo and Rossi.

might as well take the rest of the year off because it seems he's checked out on Ducati already. Spies seems to need to clear his head so Maybe he should join him on a half season sabbatical as well. I can't see either going all out for the rest of the year knowing they are leaving their team. Neither probably will get any significant updates anymore anyway with the team knowing they are going out the door.

Im more interested in seeing what he can do in WSBK in 2015 :)

If this is true, it would seem that his addiction to the drug of winning is stronger than his desire to go down in history through winning with 3 different manufacturers.

That's fine by me. I don't care what bike he is on, as long as he is competitive again.

That didn't take long. Maybe he can win a few races and go out with some dignity. I doubt it, maybe on an off-day for Lorenzo.

I'm more interested in who Ducati will choose now. Crutchlow? Dovi? Bradl?

I stand corrected. I thought for sure... Ducati. What is he going to do next year that he couldn't do back in 2010? Bad move...

Thank you Zeus!
Now, can we please got on with the rest of the season?! :)

Looks like Dovi maybe screwed by Ducati whether he's offered a ride there or not.

Despite Dovi's excellent string of performance this year, Ducati wasn't competitive enough to keep Rossi from taking Ben's open seat at Yamaha. The alternative that Dovi go to Ducati and take Rossi's place struggling to get anywhere near the front. That has to be a very daunting prospect to consider in terms of him ever capturing a MotoGP championship.

Sad but simple truth is there are simply not enough worthy seats for the amount of talent in MotoGP.

... some dreams are just too good to be true (Ducati+Rossi). But the nightmares never fail!

Now if someone could just win a race on a Duc next year... that would be sweet.

True fans will remember him as a legend that couldn't tame the Ducati even though heavy sums were thrown at him to be competitive. Some will blame Ducati and others will blame him but at the end of the day, he's still a world champion. I for one miss him at the pointy end and in a way feel bad for him that he doesn't have a competitive ride under him, although no one is to blame except himself.

Crutchlow would be fine. Iannone I'd prefer, but Doviziso.........NEVER. Had a factory Honda and did squat with it and his time is up. He's toast.

And I like Ducatis new approach to the satallite teams which fits right in with Iannone going to Ducati instead of Doviziso. Redding is also VERY welcome. Considering his size and what's he's doing in Moto2, that rinky dink almost spec series, I think he'd do just fine.

re: "The Scotsman posted the sighting - naming only a 'well-known Italian' wearing 'a big smile on his face"

wait, biaggi's returning to yamaha grandprix...? :)

He finished 6th, 5th and 3rd on the Honda behind Casey and Dani and is currently 4th in points with 4 podiums. Hardly squat. Cal isn't a good fit, at least his mouth isn't. Iannone is possible but Dovi has earned a factory ride.

I really think Ben got the boot a couple of weeks ago and Yamaha let him 'quit' to save some face. His string of bad luck is unbelievable with a broken swingarm now to blame at Laguna. Well he hasn't run out of gas while leading yet. He deserves better results.

It's sad to see the match made in heaven (or not) end this way, but we can't blame anyone but Ducati. They're the one's needing to interpret rider's feedback, develop and build machinery that improves on the previous version's performance. Let's be honest, Ducati hasn't been able to do that, and what they have done is a mere fraction of what their rivals can and will do if necessary (all new Honda RCV mid-season anyone?). I think Rossi and his team did everything they could, why doubt that? Rossi knows what he needs to ride fast and Burgess knows how to listen to Rossi and turn his words into mechanical changes. Ducati either didn't understand or opted not to listen.

It's not 2007 folks. Ducati doesn't have a massive top speed advantage or tires from planet X, the playing field is vastly more level nowadays and Ducati is the most ignorant in the paddock by a generous (or is that pitiful?) margin.

I cant wait to read read Rossi's next book and Stoners and anyone else who was involved with the disaster that is ducati.

What company hires two of the top three riders in the world Rossi & Stoner and then doesn't listen to them? Answer is Ducati.

No room for recriminations, finger pointing or associated hysterics. Rossi really needs to be back on the ultimate incarnation of the UJM. It's where he has done best. Ducati, on the other hand needs to get back to it's happy place, i.e. underdog. Ducati can not compete regularly with the vast resources of the Japanese, and they certainly do not need to convert their iconic motorcycle into
a copy of the Yamaha. Let's hope that Audi does not try to turn Ducati into another clone bike.

Best of luck to Rossi. If he is significantly faster on a Yamaha, perhaps we can have a little more racing at the front. Let's also hope that Yamaha has the good sense to built two equal motorcycles for these guys. It could be fun unless the little Italian guy can't keep up any more. In that case we can all look forward to interminable demands for a better bike. We'll see.

Put Ben on the other Ducati

Does nobody think this seems a little bit suspect? Why didn't Mackenzie just go ahead and use Rossi's actual name? He even refrained from using it in the email.

Who is to say he isn't actually referring to Dovi...?

Somebody behind the scenes are "making sure" Ben left Factory Yamaha so #46 can come back for a last hurrah on decent equipment. Conspiracy? Ben has had some odd and bad luck this whole season. We need a race by race re-cap of Ben's season starting with the last winter break.

If Mr. Stoner all of sudden gets an offer of Italian humility (if there is such a thing), unquestionable and bottomless technical support, the old "anything you want Casey, just give us your talent and get us another trophy"
I don't think he would even consider, however, being the fan that I am, one can dream right?

Suzuki has been also spotted testing a Moto GP bike or what appears to be one. And who does Roosi hold in high regards? Kevin Schwantz. Makes ya think?

How long will VAG keep Ducati in Motogp when it runs dead last in the series.

There is no more Casey Stoner. Reality is Duati to run last for the quite a few seasons.

Ducati is quietly thrilled to lose Rossi. Now they don't have to "keep" modifying THEIR design (that they don't seem interested in changing) and look like the bad guys anymore. Also, they now don't have to worry about Audi execs defending Rossi and making them do things HIS way.
Ducati will sign Crutchlow who will try and manhandle the slightly modified 2013 Duc around the track. Hayden gets a contract extension and they get an experienced rider to help with development-- they also look good for keeping a popular crowd favorite.
After two years of fighting a losing battle on the Duc, Rossi will be hungrier than ever to get back on the podium with the Yamaha and battle Jorge (which will make an interesting season IMO).
Dovi will stay with Tech 3 and get more direct improvements from the Yamaha factory. Dani will continue to get mostly 3rd finishes.

mmmexico said it: "...Ducati, on the other hand needs to get back to it's happy place, i.e. underdog."

IMO anyone’s Happy Place is where they are truly being themselves.

Ducati’s legend is built on being the exotic underdog: gorgeous but old-fashioned, sweet-handling but underpowered, fragile and expensive. A "proper" Ducati wins by making up enough around the corners to avoid getting blitzed on the straights.

When Ducati doubled up their V2/L2 engine format and later even dropped the sacred trellis frame, the end was presumed to justify the means. The UJM-ish V4 is Top Speed King, so their gamble paid off in part, but judging by front-end wipe-outs and results (Stoner notwithstanding) it would appear that they threw the baby out with the bathwater.

Dream scenario:

Ducati put the Desmosedici project on E-Bay. They tune Checa’s Superbike to within an inch of the rules and enter it as a CRT, a la ART RSV4. Riders? Hayden and Spies in one team, Edwards and Crutchlow in another, Redding and Iannone form the rookie squad, all on identical bikes.

PS Pity that Rossi and Burgess could not get the Duke to fly. Hope the whole team goes back to Yamaha and Rossi wins one last title (2014?) before retiring to Superbikes.

The better scenario for ducati is ring casey and beg him to test the gp12 and gp13 after valencia race just like what rdp did in suzuki. I expect harsh words from ducati when rossi turn around to them and jump to yamaha. I would like to know what casey's feedback in ducati and besides he's not contracted to hrc or any team. Gone fishing for one year then go back in 2014 with ducati or factory honda wsbk with john rea.

Back on the Yamaha, I can see Rossi getting so desperate for a win that he skittles Lorenzo like he did to Stoner last year.

Dovi wants nothing to do with that seat. Frankly, I hope Cal doesn't take it..., I like him too much. Bring up Iannone, Redding and perhaps Espargaro, (if he's willing), and get serious about fixing the bike. In 5 years, one rider has been able to mask it's flaws, (much of the time). After two years hard time..., VR deserves a competitive bike more than ever. As do we fans of the show....

What bothers me about this story is that I cannot imagine Rossi disclosing his decision exclusively to Niall Mackenzie. WTF? I wonder if there is some misunderstanding or something. I'm not trying to say Rossi will stay at Ducati, but I just wonder if this "confirmation" is somehow premature.

I think I prefer the Rossi/Yamaha decision over the Rossi/Ducati alternative (despite the Ducati 999-S in my garage), but I'll be more comfortable once I hear an official confirmation.

The future comments from Rossi and Co. won't be that they weren't able to change the Duc, but that they literally were not allowed to do what they thought was necessary to make a significant change in the machine's performance. It's not like Rossi doesn't know what needs to be fixed on the GP13 (hell, most average fans know what needs to be fixed), but rather it is the simple fact that Bologna is either unable to (inexcusable at this level) or unwilling to change course with the design of their machine.

If there is one thing Ducati need to do, it's admit that they have been trying to perfect a flawed design from the word go. The GP6-13 have been bikes with a few strong points (mainly power, straight line speed, and acceleration) but in the end the bad points outweigh the good ones. This is the highest level of Grand Prix racing, and nothing but 99% sorted bike will do when it comes to generating consistent results. The final 1% is what competing at the highest level is all about. The Ducati is at roughly 95%, which while still dead in the middle of the ballpark, is a long way off where they should be.

Pride be damned, Rossi is a racer who wants to WIN. Being competitive is first and foremost his priority, not silly national pride. It was a cool idea, the Italian legend on an Italian legend, but it's pretty obvious it didn't work. No harm in saying we tried, but it didn't work out. Sometimes, that's life...

1. Congrats to VR, I thought Honda would have been a better choice for him because Yamaha has already Lorenzo and with Stoner gone they seem to have the championships in the bag in the following 1-2 seasons. Wondering what they were thinking at HRC?! Hate to say it but if this is true, it was the necessary move, it will bring some real excitement for 2013, Lorenzo hopefully will be pushed. If not Rossi is the one who lost his edge after the Simoncelli-incident because I think he did in some ways...but either way, on the Yammie there is more chance to get his mojo back.
2. So I would not like to back up the conspiracy theorists but only 1-2 weeks after Spies announced his quitting and the VR46-contract is a done deal. It is hard to imagine for me. I mean I would not be surprised if Spies and his fans would have felt for a while that his place is already sold and Dorna is pushing Yamaha to take VR46 back (after last season they for sure considered this option more). So his latest unfortunate results are maybe not only because Spies forgot how to ride fast on the best factory bike (while he seemed very good on the 800 cc version and even he was convinced that the bigger capacity will fit him better) or he lacked focus recently but because -if it would be necessary - his leaving must look well reasoned. Not talking about the cracked subframe or swingarm of course, those were coincidances, but with the setup I suppose there are many ways to control someone nowadays. MotoGP is a huge (dying) business after all and businessmen do such political moves in order to protect their best interests, don't they?
3. I hope Ducati is trying to reach Ben Spies because from this field I think he is one who could get some results on the Duke. I remember him storming through WSBK on that fire-breathing R1, that was not the best handling bike out there. Not to mention that Spies has much experience on the Yam, that could be valuable. Dovi would not go well on the Duke, his refined GP-style (similar to Rossi) is not what Ducatis need. That beast must be taken by its horns into the corner (elbows out :) ) then twist that throttle and praying for dear life on the exit. Not that I would not be very happy after all about Spies' coming back to WSBK, that series is closer to my heart but still...if nothing is signed yet with BMW, Ben should get a taste of the GP12, somewhere behind closed doors.

The whole story is fake it appears... Well it did create some fun speculation, again.

Stoner/Ducati were good enough to win 1 title. While the combination was able to reach alien status, they were also inconsistent. Maybe Stoner knew he would never win another title there. Race wins weren't enough. If Rossi leaves I see it as unfortunate, but not his failure. Everyone has the same compliment and it's still not fixed.

Well, Ducati was very slow a providing updates that Rossi and JB requested..Now that Audi is in the picture, maybe some thing might get done..Rossi has already stated that money was not the factor.

Should this be a test to see what Yamaha will offer him, when he brings this sponsorship money to the table and become the title sponsor, like someone said above, it will be a true testament to how good JL really is and Rossi to jump back on a bike that he developed and passed onto JL. the challenge to sort the Duck out could also be alluring, that if Rossi get's what he needs and put"s the Duck on the right path " oh boy " would that be the talk of the season and years to come....we will know after the break what he is going to do.....that's for sure