At the start today Wrooom 2012: Valentino Rossi's long-awaited

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As anticipated officially opens this afternoon in Madonna di Campiglio the Wrooom 2012 , F1 & MotoGP Press Ski Meeting, traditional event which begins the season of MotoGP and Formula 1. Important event during which the Red Ducati will unveil the plans for next season.

The uomimi Ducati Corse Claudio Domenicali to Ing. Filippo Preziosi and riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will be available to journalists. Spotlight on Valentino Rossi's called the truth after a 2011 season of dull and disappointing. The inauguration of the event will be held this afternoon at 18.30 at the square Lorenzetti.

Tomorrow instead of from 17.30 to Canalone Miramonti Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will meet fans and to follow the traditional torchlight procession. Thursday then it will be the Formula One with Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Finally Friday 13 to the lake in Madonna di Campiglio is programmed, the Challenge Exhibition, the challenge will take place on icy, which will feature the famous men as Ducati and Ferrari.

source: motoblog.it

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Valentino Rossi and Ducati, the double-negative record that writes the history of MotoGP

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Since  1996 , the year of onset in the 125cc and MotoGP, Rossi had never happened that did not even win a Grand Prix. In Pesaro won the first season in Brno by adding a third and a pole position. Only in the final classification of 15 years ago, the Doctor has done worse in 2011 finishing in ninth place with 111 points. Although the seventh this year with 139 points (which also result in more than two races), can not be a comforting sign.

Success is absent from  Sepang 2010 , are therefore twenty races that Rossi does not rise to the top step of the podium. The comparison with the results of  Nicky Hayden , just seven points ahead of the pilot texanom show that the pilot of Tavullia failed to make a difference that supporters of a nine-time champion of the world are expected.

It 'clear that the  Ducati  was responsible for this negative record. The Borgo Panigale company has never made ​​it worse: in 2004 alone, the second year in  MotoGP  , but did not get a successful third places were won three compared to two in 2011. In short, a record low ever, that only the class and professionalism of the Ducati technicians posssono to delete. Rossi said he had  already started working on the new Ducati which retains an comebacks aside, this year has done very little

source: blogosfere.it

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Valentino Rossi has no regrets over Ducati switch

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Valentino Rossi says he has no regrets about moving to Ducati after a tough debut season with the Bologna factory saw the Italian icon fail to claim at least one victory in a season for the first time in his 16-year Grand Prix career.

When Rossi quit Yamaha after a glorious seven year spell that saw him capture 46 wins and four world titles, many expected him to be competitive on Ducati’s notoriously finicky Desmosedici.

But the 32-year-old scored just one podium in Le Mans and struggled all year to cope with a vague front-end feeling from the GP11.

But in a world exclusive interview with the latest issue of MCN Sport, Rossi said he had no regrets about moving to Ducati.

He said: “Sometimes I regret it but once I start to think more deeply it is something that I had to try, so for me it is not a mistake. The fascination of this challenge is great and I still feel that way.

"It is better to try and have some problems than never try at all and wonder for the rest of my life, what if? I race and I make all the choices of my career like this, and I have a lot of fun because of that.

"So despite what’s happened at the end I have no regrets. The first to be let down is myself and all the people that work with me, and I know the fans are waiting and they expected much better results.

"Sometimes in the past I have been able to start from 11th on the grid but still win the race. So this year when I’ve been in a similar situation they have expected and thought it was possible to do the same.

"But I wish it was like this. I am very sad to let down all my fans but this story is not finished. It will be difficult but we can only do better.”

Rossi believes the toughest year of his career will only galvanise him and Ducati and help him return stronger in 2012 for the inaugural 1000cc MotoGP world championship.

“For me a season like this helps me become stronger. A season like this doesn’t change how I feel about my future. I want to stay some more years in MotoGP and I am convinced that I can comeback at the top and fight for the important positions.

"For sure it will be impossible to make 11 victories in one season but I can stay on the podium often.

"My first target is to try and comeback at the top with Ducati and we have to do this. We can’t finish this story like this and we have to bring the bike to a good level and bring the bike closer to the Honda and Yamaha.”

source: MCN

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Valentino Rossi: The 2011 season? Disastrous

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Time Rally, but also an opportunity to think about the next season. Among the big favorites for the final victory in the Rally of Monza, Valentino Rossi has not escaped the journalists' questions at the end of the first stage of an upcoming event this weekend at the Autodromo Monza. Without too many turns of phrase, he understandably considered "disastrous" their 2011 season, the first for Ducati.

" The budget is quite disastrous, I think it was one of my worst seasons when I run, if not the worst. The Christmas present is therefore a result: I hope you bring me under the tree a competitive GP12.

This is a very important time for next year because everybody at Ducati are working, Precious and all the engineers , "he told Sky Sport 24. " We will have a very different bike. We hope to be ready as soon as possible, since February so that we can try. In the first test we'll see if we could improve, if I can be faster and more competitive than this year. We hope ... "

Valentine could not speak of Marco Simoncelli, a friend who is missing " Very, very much. These days I often think about the SIC, we have brought us here within the stringers together with Graziano. Missing much here at Monza, he ran for several years, the rally and was among the riders nice and appreciated by the audience , "concluded the 9-time World Champion.

source: bike racing

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Valentino Rossi tests Ducati GP12 with new frame

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Valentino Rossi has started evaluating Ducati’s new twin spar aluminium frame at the Valencia circuit in Spain this morning.

The nine-times world champion was one of the first on to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit once wet patches had dried up under blue and sunny skies.

The new chassis is a conventional twin spar aluminium version and has been designed to give Italian Rossi and team-mate Nicky Hayden more front-end feedback, while also curing an understeer issue that hampered the pair last season.

Rossi has set a best time of 1.33.857 so far. Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is currently the fastest rider on track with a 1.32.939 on board Honda’s new RC213V machine.

source: MCN

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Valentino Rossi: ‘Maybe if it snows I can win’

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Valentino Rossi might be close to losing his proud record of winning at least one race in every season of his illustrious Grand Prix career in 2011, but he proved today he’s not lost his sense of humour too.

Rossi joked in Phillip Island this afternoon that he would need snow to win a race in 2011 after a torrid debut campaign for Ducati that has seen him claim just one podium in 15 races.

The 32-year-old has failed to make the finicky Desmosedici anywhere near competitive enough to challenge Casey Stoner’s factory Honda and Jorge Lorenzo’s works Yamaha this season.

Ducati has never lost in the 800cc era at Phillip Island but Rossi has already dismissed his chances of extending that run to maintain his record of winning at least one race in every season since his GP debut in 1996.

He said: “It is a bad feeling. At the beginning of the season I thought we can win some races, but I have to look reality in the eyes and I think we can’t win one race. It is very bad, because Ducati always win but also I always win minimum one race from 1996. Maybe if it snows I can win (laughs).”

source: MCN

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Pictures: Valentino Rossi Crash Motegi MotoGP 2011

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'Unlucky' Rossi crashes out after turn two contact

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"When Lorenzo touched me, it pushed me into Spies, who touched my front brake lever... I was in the wrong place at the wrong time" - 

Valentino Rossi's Japanese MotoGP ended at the second turn, when contact with Factory Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies ended with the Italian down and out (see below for further pictures).

"Unfortunately, Lorenzo went onto the grass slightly in Turn 1, and in the next turn he moved suddenly to get his trajectory right. He didn't see me because I was slightly behind," explained Rossi.

"When he touched me, it pushed me into Spies, who touched my front brake lever. It was normal racing contact, but I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Rossi suffered a hard blow to a finger on his left hand, although X-rays carried out after he returned to the garage didn't reveal any fractures. 

The fall was especially frustrating since Rossi had hoped to build on a weekend best of fourth place in the morning warm-up session.

“It's really a shame to be out of the race after two corners, especially after the progress that we made this weekend, and with the knowledge that we'd worked on the bike well," he said. "I was fourth in the morning warm-up, and it would have been possible to have a pace in the high 1min 46 range. 

"I also think our choice of tyres for the race - hard on the back and soft on the front - was correct. When you also consider the troubles that Stoner, Simoncelli and Dovizioso had, we could have fought for the podium, which would have been really nice for us. We were a little unlucky. 

"Anyway, we did a good job this weekend, and we were more competitive than usual. It's a challenging time for us, but we hope we're on the right path.”

source: crash

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Rossi rounds off his sixth day of testing on GP12 at Mugello

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Valentino Rossi joined the Ducati Test Team at Mugello on Thursday for the third and final day of a special run which continued the development of the Borgo Panigale factory's 2012 prototype.

It was Rossi's sixth of the eight testing days permitted for each factory rider and there was no shortage of work for the nine-time World Champion to get through as he put in 82 laps, trying out an updated electronics package and chassis.

In sunny but not overly hot conditions Rossi rode until 6.30pm local time, unaffected by a minor fall at the Scarperia-Palagio section on his third lap of his first outing on the bike in the morning. Filippo Preziosi and Vittoriano Guareschi were both present in the garage to observe the Test, with official Ducati Test rider Franco Battaini – who had ridden for the previous two days – on track with Rossi.

“It was an interesting day, although it was quite a long one as we were riding until 6.30pm,” said Rossi. “Developing a bike requires a lot of focus and effort but is also very exciting, and it's very fulfilling to be part of a group of people pushing as hard as it can and all in the same direction. Today we confirmed various aspects of the GP12's electronics and chassis, collecting a lot of useful information for Filippo and the guys back at the factory. I think the work is well underway as we prepare for our next steps.”

source: motogp official website

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Jerry Burgess: ‘We need some more help’

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Valentino Rossi’s legendary crew chief Jerry Burgess said it is time for Ducati to start making radical changes to its struggling Desmosedici MotoGP project.

Rossi finished seventh in his home race in Misano last weekend but still finished 23 seconds behind race winner Casey Stoner as the GP11.1 machine was comprehensively defeated by Honda and Yamaha again.

And Aussie Burgess says the only way to raise the performance potential of the Ducati is to try new parts, with Rossi’s crew out of setting options to try and improve his speed.

Rossi has complained of a lack of front-end feel and understeer ever since he jumped on the Ducati in Valencia 10 months ago.

The nine-times world champion will test an aluminium frame in Mugello this week and Burgess said Ducati engineers have no other option to adopt a different technical approach to see if can improve the Desmosedici.

He told MCN: "We need some more help and some different ideas. Everybody is aware that the feeling the riders don’t get has to be improved and we need to do that by whatever method they decide. We’ve done all we can here at the track and until we get something to work with, we’re really going to struggle to move forward at all. Valentino will go out and go to battle with whatever he has got and he can always say it has to be improved.

"We need to make some bigger steps and that is up to Ducati. We’ve moved the bike around in all shapes and positions, as has every other guy riding the Ducati. When we look at the settimgs used by Casey (Stoner) we can put those in too. But it gets to a point where you don’t do anymore."

source: MCN

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Ducati not consistent enough, admits technical boss

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Ducati technical guru Filippo Preziosi has admitted one of his main future targets is to deliver a bike capable of running a more consistent pace to Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.

Rossi will evaluate an aluminium frame in Mugello later this week on the GP12 1000cc machine as the Bologna factory desperately tries to close the gap to rivals Honda and Yamaha.

But Preziosi said the focus for future development was to roll out a bike that could maintain consistently fast lap times.

Preziosi said: "In the Indy warm-up Nicky did a lap 0.3s from first and that was a good sign because it means the bike can do it. But the problem is that it was just one lap and the other lap was 1.2s slower, so it means that we have to work in order to give something to our rider that allows them to push the bike to the limit every lap.

"If the limit is 100 per cent then you have to stay at 99.9 because if you’re at 99 you’re one per cent lower and that is one second. So we have to build something that allows the rider to be consistently and safely closer to the limit. Maybe the main problem of our bike is not the limit but it is to give the rider the right feedback."

source: MCN

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Ducati boss: Rossi is a ‘lion in a cage’

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Ducati's engineering expert Filippo Preziosi reckons Valentino Rossi is like a lion trapped in a cage and he warned the Italian's rivals to expect a much more competitive threat once the Bologna factory has improved its Desmosedici machine.

Rossi hasn't posed any serious threat to the podium on a consistent basis all season and after 13 rounds off a tough debut season with Ducati, he's only scored one top three finish in Le Mans.

Preziosi made the lion in a cage reference in Misano last weekend when he was asked whether Ducati was pressing Dorna to increase the winter testing schedule to help Rossi close the gap on Honda rival Casey Stoner and former Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

He said: "The other companies have asked to reduce the tests just for Valentino. We don’t think the crucial point is the number of days. The crucial point is to interpret the information that comes from our riders in the right way, design the right part and test properly the parts and then the last thing is to have the right rider and we have it. They know how dangerous he is because the lion is in the cage. When we open the cage it will be very dangerous."

source: MCN

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Ducati boss hints at frame change but V-four engine stays

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Ducati's MotoGP godfather Filippo Preziosi has hinted the Bologna design team may well be looking at alternative frame configurations for the next year's GP12 MotoGP bike but is resolute the V-four engine configuration will stay.

There has been much paddock chatter that the only way for Ducati to fix the front end grip problems experienced by Valentino Rossi is to bin the current engine-as-a-stressed-member setup and go to a traditional ally perimeter frame used by the Japanese manufacturers. 

"We are exploring different (frame) solutions. I don't think material is the point but for sure shape, stiffness and distribution of the stiffness through the length are concepts that we want to explore in order to build up good knowledge so this is something we will do," he said, speaking to bikesportnews.com

"Every time you put something new on the track, you have to compare with existing solutions, this is nothing new or special to compare what we did in the past. When we put in the monocoque frame we ask Casey whether he prefer the old model or the new. We are doing some other modifications for stiffness but not necessarily to do with the frame."

When asked about a switch away from the current V-four engine configuration, Preziosi said there was no point as the only time you would need that is if the front cylinder head was to touch the front tyre, which it doesn't.

"At the moment, we have never reached a configuration where the engine is the limit. Typically, one limit could be when you are trying to put more weight on the front and you touch the front wheel with the cylinder head cover but we are away from that limit so we can modify the weight distribution without any constraints coming from the engine. We are in the middle of the adjustment," he said.

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Valentino Rossi surprised by new Yamaha 1000 pace

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Valentino Rossi says the big surprise of yesterday’s Brno test was the performance of Yamaha’s new 1000cc MotoGP bike.

The YZR-M1 800cc replacement was fast immediately out of the crate with reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo finishing just 0.085s behind Casey Stoner, who was making his second appearance on Honda’s 2012 1000cc bike.

Lorenzo completed 28-laps on the new bike to clock a best time of 1.56.253, which was nearly 0.5s faster than his qualifying pace on the 800cc Yamaha at the Czech Republic MotoGP round.

Ben Spies was also impressively fast on Yamaha’s 2012 contender, the Texan completing 24-laps to finish with a best time of 1.56.306. That was only 0.138s behind Stoner’s best pace of 1.56.168 on the Honda RC213V.

Rossi, who evaluated a range of geometry and weight distribution changes to his current GP11.1 machine with Ducati not testing its 1000cc GP12 in Brno, said he was impressed by the early speed of the Yamaha.

The 32-year-old told MCN: "For me the surprise is the Yamaha because it is very fast with Lorenzo and Spies from the first exit. When the bike has arrived it is ready and they are not so far from the Honda. It looks like they are closer than with the 800 in this track. I already know that Honda and Yamaha are competitive and now we have to arrive."

Rossi could be back on Ducati’s GP12 during a one-day test session immediately after his home race in Misano early next month, but he says he’s not concerned by the early pace shown by the new Honda and Yamaha.

He added: "Our engine is quite fast but the problem we have is more on the rest. It will be hard for sure because already the Honda and Yamaha is very fast, but we will try."

source: MCN

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Rossi laughs at Honda rumours, Ducati in 2012

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Valentino Rossi has confirmed he will remain with Ducati for the second year of his existing MotoGP contract, in 2012.

Highly-unlikely rumours of an early Ducati split in order to switch back to Honda, the manufacturer Rossi left under something of a cloud at the end of 2003, emerged during the MotoGP summer break.

Those rumours, which seem to have been fuelled by comments from former MotoGP rider Marco Melandri, were rejected by nine-time world champion Rossi at Brno on Thursday.

"I read about something from my new manager, the Superbike rider Marco Melandri, who knows everything about my decision for next year!" laughed Rossi.

"Joking aside, I will race for Ducati next year for sure. It is not in doubt. The contract is signed and the situation is 100 percent fixed. 

"So for sure I will race with Ducati - if Melandri agrees!"

Melandri meanwhile claims he was only joking: 

"Kidding I said Rossi was looking for a Honda and everyone write it all over… Why I have to always [look] like a bad boy? Let me just race," the factory Yamaha WSBK rider wrote on Twitter.

Rossi has taken just one podium from his first ten races as a Ducati rider and is currently fifth in the world championship heading into this weekend's Czech Republic round.

Rossi's team-mate Nicky Hayden also has a Ducati contract for 2012.

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'Recharged' Rossi ready for Brno

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Valentino Rossi has modest expectations heading into this weekend's Czech Republic MotoGP - a special event for the Italian.

It was at Brno that Rossi took his first ever grand prix win, from his first pole, in the 125cc class in 1996 - then wrapped up the first of his nine world titles at the same circuit the following year.

A five-time Brno winner in the premier-class, Rossi heads for the 2011 event with the simple aim of getting his Ducati closer to the front of the field.

The Doctor finished 30 seconds from victory at the previous US GP.

“After Laguna I took a few days of vacation, at the beach close to home. It was a short break but enough to recharge the batteries following an intense period," said Rossi, whose fifth place in the standings is starting to come under pressure from Yamaha replacement Ben Spies. 

"Now we'll spend a nice mid-August at Brno - classic! Seriously, I'm always happy to go there. I like the track not only because it's very nice, wide and fast, and I've always gone well there, but also because it's a special place for me since it's where I earned my first pole, my first win and my first world championship. 

"During both the race weekend and the Monday test, we'll continue concentrating on the bike's setup, with the goal of reducing the gap to the lead group," concluded the #46, who has taken one podium from his first ten races for Ducati.

Team-mate Nicky Hayden spent part of his summer break at Indy, splitting his time between promotional activities for the upcoming Grand Prix and trying out the new track surface aboard a Ducati 1198 SP.

“It's been a bit of a break, but fortunately not all of it was away from bikes!" said Hayden, who also has one podium so far this year. "On August 5 I had an opportunity to ride a Ducati 1198 SP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the entire infield section has been resurfaced, from Turn 5 to 16, in order to eliminate the bumps that used to limit our line options. 

"Indy was already a great track, but now it's safer and even more fun. A big thanks to Ducati North America and IMS for all the hard work to make the test possible. 

"I'm ready to get to Brno now. It's a very different circuit to what we've been to for the last two races at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca. Those are tight with short lap times, and Brno is definitely a big, open track. We know it won't be easy, but we've just got to keep chipping away. 

"It's clear that everybody at Ducati is doing the maximum, so we'll go there and try to get a good result. Obviously the test on Monday will be really important for us. I'll probably just ride the GP11 on the race weekend and then test the new bike on Monday.”

source: crash.net

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Valentino Rossi didn’t underestimate Ducati challenge

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Valentino Rossi didn't underestimate the size of the challenge to win MotoGP races at Ducati.

But Ducati did underestimate the extent to which rivals Honda would improve in 2011, according to Rossi’s Aussie crew chief Jerry Burgess.

Rossi has struggled to make a major impact at Ducati since he quit Yamaha at the end of 2010 and has managed just one podium finish in the opening 10 races.

Honda meanwhile is enjoying its best season in the 800cc era and it has already won more races in 2011 after 10 rounds than it did in any other season since 2007.

Speaking to MCN, Burgess said: "I think we underestimated what sort of improvement the others could make. Casey has lifted the potential of all the riders on the Honda. Casey has clearly stood up as the fastest and the top rider out there. Barring misfortune he’s going to be very unlucky not to win the championship."

Burgess said Ducati's main difficulty surrounded understanding its innovative carbon fibre chassis concept.

Loris Capirossi told MCN recently that Ducati was already working on a radical future revamp, and he said requests had been submitted for the Desmosedici to feature a conventional aluminium frame.

Burgess added: "You never expect it to be easy and Ducati has gone out on a limb and built a bike that is quite different to everybody else’s in terms of the chassis. There is not a lot of experience and information out there and how it should it work, so we’re getting our head around a lot of that now and without anything from Ducati to compare it with, we’re sort of an in a neutral position. In the past they’ve gone down an avenue that has delivered inconsistent results but it has perhaps not been the ideal way of where it should be.

"I think if you looked at Ducati’s results in its earlier years in MotoGP, there were two guys in Loris and Troy (Bayliss) who were both capable of finishing in the top four. The bike was perhaps closer to the mark then that it is now in terms of relevance to the competition of the day. That was a bike to me that was more rideable. As time went on, somehow we’ve drifted away from the way how I like to go racing and make it so everybody can ride the bike and it is not rider specific."

source: MCN

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Valentino Rossi has asked for a Gresini Honda says Marco Melandri

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The rumors that the once considered fairy tale marriage between Valentino Rossi and Ducati is heading towards an annulment are growing stronger; especially considering all his struggles in trying to tame the GP11 and 11.1 and despite the Italian saying “Will I stay with Ducati in 2012? I said I think so, meaning that I reckon that staying here is the logical choice.”

The latest gossip was that Rossi was thinking returning to the Honda fold or run his own MotoGP team with the Japanese manufacturer’s bike, but that was more or less pooh-poohed away, but now the soon-to-be-out of a job Marco Melandri has just lent some credibility to that rumor.

“I know that Valentino Rossi has contacted Gresini for a Honda in 2012: all this confirms what I’ve been saying for some time, that the marriage between the” Doctor “and Ducati have the months counted, said Melandri, who had his own personal stormy relationship with Ducati, that included sessions on a psychologist’s couch.

Whether this is just some summer gossip to fill websites remains to be seen, but that second year option in Rossi’s contract may allow him bow out and count his blessings, and try to forget a nightmare season where for the first time since 1996, he hasn’t had a win to add to his legendary statistics.

source : theracingtribune.it

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Rossi to compare GP11 and GP11.1 in USA

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Rossi has made public is frustration with the revised machine and has suggested he would benefit from returning to the original GP11.

Valentino Rossi's wish to return to the Ducati GP11 could be granted as early as this weekend's United States Grand Prix after the team announced it would be taking both it and the revised GP11.1 to Laguna Seca.

The Italian declared his dissatisfaction with the GP11.1, introduced from the Dutch TT as an attempt to advance the original GP11 package with features that will be used on next year's 1000cc GP12, after qualifying a lowly 16th for the German Grand Prix.

Suggesting he was ready to return to the GP11 in an effort to improve an average run of form, the former champion will possibly have the chance to ride the two machines back-to-back during free practice for this weekend's United States Grand Prix.

Though Ducati has not made a final decision on this matter, Rossi feels it will be a benefit in the longer term, even if it will likely affect his race performance come Sunday.

“I think that we'll try to use both versions of the Desmosedici on Friday so that we can compare them and do some work for both the near term and the future, because we want to learn as much as possible. We're aware that it could be difficult because we'll also have to be preparing for the race, but we think that in order to improve our bike, it's important to try everything possible. 

A legendary circuit for Rossi, not least as regard to his epic tussle with Casey Stoner in 2008, he will also have the benefit of Jerry Burgess's presence following an absence of two races.

“For me, Laguna represents a great corner, the Corkscrew, and many nice memories, including one of the best races of my career, in 2008. In any case, it's always a pleasure to race in the United States because the motorcycle world here is really nice. Of course I'm even happier that Jerry has returned and I look forward to seeing him in the garage again with all the guys.”

Rossi remains fourth in the overall standings, despite finishing down in ninth at the Sachsenring, while he has also failed to qualify inside the top ten over the last four rounds.

source: crash

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Rossi staying with Ducati for 2012

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All we need now is some time, to develop a Ducati the way I want it.

DESPITE difficulties with his transfer to Ducati, Valentino Rossi has committed to the Italian manufacturer for 2012.

Speaking after an off-par qualifying and race finish at Sachsenring, when asked whether he will continue with Ducati in 2012 Rossi said: “Will I stay with Ducati in 2012? I said ‘I think so’, meaning that I reckon that staying here is the logical choice.”

The reasoning behind the question was in regards to the two-year contract between the nine-time champion and the Bologna manufacturer, the second year being an option for Rossi to continue giving him room for movement if the partnership did not go to plan.

The issue should he leave would be, where would Rossi and his entourage go? He won't return to Yamaha to ride alongside Jorge Lorenzo again and he burnt the bridge with Honda at the end of 2003 - however, HRC did extend the olive branch saying they would take Rossi back.

At Sachsenring the 31-year-old Italian found himself embroiled in a battle with teammate Nicky Hayden and Alvaro Bautista after working his way into the top ten from a poor qualifying position. Ultimately Rossi would finish the second best of the Ducatista in ninth, and both would lose out to the sterling work of Bautista in an inspiring ride on the lone Suzuki GSV-R.

Finding improvements with the bike from languishing down at the back of the grid, Rossi discussed the race: "After the opening laps, I realized that my pace was the same as that of Nicky and Bautista’s group, maybe even a little faster, but I had small glitches with the gearbox in the second half of the race.

"It was mainly hurting me in the last corner, when I changed to third, because the bike wheelied and it took me half the straightaway before I could put it back down. 

"At the end of the race, I wanted to pass Nicky on the brakes into the first corner, where I was pretty strong, but instead even Bautista passed me on the straight. Anyway, that’s not where we want to be. 

"We definitely improved today compared to Saturday, but we’re still too far back." he finished, revealing that the improvements were a in part from adjusting the weight balancing of the Desmosedici GP11.1.

Moving to Ducati, Rossi found the Desmosedici unlike anything he was accustomed to, "Our performances are disappointing, because I don’t seem to be able to make the difference on this motorbike. We must figure out how to solve the problems, we must be focussed and carry on working hard, with optimism.

Rossi

“This motorbike requires slightly different adjustments and a different riding style. We must understand which lead we should follow. Such a situation is a bit risky, because we might end up getting confused,” continued Valentino, “This motorbike was ready, it had been developed previously. All we need now is some time, to develop a Ducati the way I want it. Let’s hope for the best.

“I want to race, otherwise I’d stay home. Last year, here at the Sachsenring, I was walking on crutches and my shoulder was falling to pieces, but I lapped in 1’22”, the lap time of today’s winner. I don’t think I’ve suddenly become an idiot.”

Rossi will now decide whether to continue with the GP11.1, which can be developed further, or step back to the Desmosedici GP11.

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