Jeremy Burgess Interview

Keshav · Mar 28, 2011

Talpa said:
you don't happen to think that the fact that their no 1 and only successful 800cc pilot also threw it away a lot last season making the bike uncompetative for all, was also a good reason to promote change......

No - not being a Stoner hater - I don't see him as having any negative impact on Ducati; he's done more good for their image

than Melandri, Cappirosi et al - combined.

Moreover you have it bass-ackwards. The carriage leading the horse as it were. The bike was not made uncompetitive because he "threw it away". He lost the front end repeatedly because it was un-stable due to Ducati's not being able to fix it without swallowing their pride and turning their back on a failed chassis design.

The more I hear this stuff - the more absurd it sounds. Rossi-philes want to demonize Stoner for the end results of decades

of poor design concept by Ducati; a design philosophy that has been their brand-identity since before Stoner was born? Really?

All the Ducati MGP riders predating Stoner have complained of the inadequacy of the Ducati design and Ducati's

refusal or inability to make the needed changes. And then Stoner comes along and wins the championship in 2007

- which doubtless to their minds - confirmed their design concept; which given human nature - would actually

have strengthened their resolve to ignore rider input - and continue to build Ducatis the way they always have.

It's been pointed out many times - that there's virtually always a gap between what a rider's chief mechanic

wants - or what he promises to the rider - and what the top level executives will permit. We will never know

how much input Stoner offered - and how much was ever applied or realized.

Much as it must sting to go against the company philosophy to build a Japanesed Ducati -

the pressure of having Ro$$i on the payroll may end up being the very thing that drags

them kicking and screaming into the realm of MGP competitiveness.

frizzle · Mar 28, 2011

Nino said:
http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-rossi-mistake-to-copy-yamaha/P1

See that. Rossi and Burgess are concentrating on the bikes strong points. They're not going to radically overhaul it. All these excuses for Stoner's lack of development in four years at Ducati, and his overall decline in performance are lame.

Well I posted the interview so you could get the words straight from Jeremy himself. But you cannot see reason, that much is obvious in your short time here.

This interview was straight after the Qatar race weekend after the top Ducati came 7th.

Your quote is from Valentino & was before they had had a race weekend & before the Qatar test.

Now they have to deal with Jerez & I don't think the Ducati will go well there.

dwoodhouse · Mar 28, 2011

Keshav said:
Phuleeez. They brought Rossi in because having the most beloved Italian rider in 30 years is the marketing coup of the century.

It's not a question of "confidence". Ducati's going against the grain, idiosyncratic design philosophy has been their predominant

marketing identity since day one. They have made "interesting" bikes aimed at customers who required something exotic and

eye-catching, regardless of poor performance since as long as I can remember. I just finished reading an interview in RRW with

Preziosi and he said that when he was a kid nobody in Europe wanted a Ducati because the performance, suspension, brakes, etc.

were such a joke.

What has prevented Ducati from building a better MGP bike - has been their prideful, arrogant, stubborn insistence on not copying

tried and true engineering techniques mastered by the Japanese.

Having spent the big bucks to hire "The GOAT" and knowing they don't want spend the next few decades with egg on their faces

as a result of losing multiple championships with Ro$$i on board - has forced Ducati to swallow their pride and do the needful.

Yes there is a marketing coup involved, I can't deny that. I do believe that Ducati know they were doing things wrong and they needed to change. This process started before Rossi was hired but the decision to hire Rossi signified their committment to turning it around. If they were going to spend that much money, they needed to get something out of it other than Rossi riding round on a lemon that could only get fourth in the championship in the hands of Stoner. They were committed to the change before Rossi even stepped onto the bike. You don't think they went into a 15m euro (or whatever it is) spend without considering the development they would have to do, knowing the perculiar nature of their beast?

Keshav · Mar 28, 2011

woody996 said:
Yes there is a marketing coup involved, I can't deny that. I do believe that Ducati know they were doing things wrong and they needed to change. This process started before Rossi was hired but the decision to hire Rossi signified their committment to turning it around. If they were going to spend that much money, they needed to get something out of it other than Rossi riding round on a lemon that could only get fourth in the championship in the hands of Stoner. They were committed to the change before Rossi even stepped onto the bike. You don't think they went into a 15m euro (or whatever it is) spend without considering the development they would have to do, knowing the perculiar nature of their beast?

I think it's difficult at best for outsiders such as you and I to gauge the extent to which Ducati believed the bike would have to be re-designed or modified and how many millions of Lira it would cost. As many others here - I believe there was at least some degree of hope amongst the Ducati bean counters - that Rossi and Burgess would be able to make a couple of changes that no-one had thought of before and magically iron out the problems for say half a million bucks or less. I'd hazard to say Ducati was disappointed by the lack of a quick fix, but have dug in now for the long haul - whatever the cost. With so much at stake they can't afford to pinch pennies.

michaelm · Mar 28, 2011

Nino said:
See that. Rossi and Burgess are concentrating on the bikes strong points. They're not going to radically overhaul it. All these excuses for Stoner's lack of development in four years at Ducati, and his overall decline in performance are lame.

Stoner may well not be a good developer, rossi and jb are obviously excellent developers, and seem to be going about things far more methodically than has been the case at ducati in the past, whether or not this was at stoner's direction. However as you seem to manage to continue to ignore, whilst they look to be going about things the right way and on general principles seem more likely to succeed than the previous regime, the fact of the matter is that at present they haven't made the bike better,whether or not they are concentrating on strong points and/or not radically overhauling it. Until and unless they do improve the bike, your argument is "lame". As I said previously, there are many reasons to argue for rossi being both the goat and better than stoner, but being better at fixing a bike he has not yet fixed is not one of them.

michaelm · Mar 28, 2011

Keshav said:
No - not being a Stoner hater - I don't see him as having any negative impact on Ducati; he's done more good for their image

than Melandri, Cappirosi et al - combined.

Moreover you have it bass-ackwards. The carriage leading the horse as it were. The bike was not made uncompetitive because he "threw it away". He lost the front end repeatedly because it was un-stable due to Ducati's not being able to fix it without swallowing their pride and turning their back on a failed chassis design.

The more I hear this stuff - the more absurd it sounds. Rossi-philes want to demonize Stoner for the end results of decades

of poor design concept by Ducati; a design philosophy that has been their brand-identity since before Stoner was born? Really?

All the Ducati MGP riders predating Stoner have complained of the inadequacy of the Ducati design and Ducati's

refusal or inability to make the needed changes. And then Stoner comes along and wins the championship in 2007

- which doubtless to their minds - confirmed their design concept; which given human nature - would actually

have strengthened their resolve to ignore rider input - and continue to build Ducatis the way they always have.

It's been pointed out many times - that there's virtually always a gap between what a rider's chief mechanic

wants - or what he promises to the rider - and what the top level executives will permit. We will never know

how much input Stoner offered - and how much was ever applied or realized.

Much as it must sting to go against the company philosophy to build a Japanesed Ducati -

the pressure of having Ro$$i on the payroll may end up being the very thing that drags

them kicking and screaming into the realm of MGP competitiveness.

Exactly.

michaelm · Mar 28, 2011

Nino said:
How can it be described as unfair when Honda have been throwing the kitchen sink at their bike for years?

You are correct, it is not unfair, it is the way things have always been. The best rider organising to be with the best team and vice versa has always been part of the motogp game, and an aspect of the game which rossi has played well over the years as he should have; it could be argued just now that he may have departed from goathood in this particular area by going to ducati however, imo

.

Talpa · Mar 28, 2011

Keshav said:
I think it's difficult at best for outsiders such as you and I to gauge the extent to which Ducati believed the bike would have to be re-designed or modified and how many millions of Lira it would cost. As many other here - I believe there was at least some degree of hope amongst the Ducati bean counters - that Rossi and Burgess would be able to make a couple of changes that no-one had thought of before and magically iron out the problems for say half a million bucks or less. I'd hazard to say Ducati was disappointed by the lack of a quick fix, but have dug in now for the long haul - whatever the cost. With so much at stake they can't afford to pinch pennies.

You might be onto something here, especially with the admission from JB that not much has changed on the bike, this more than likely was at the request of Rossi and JB knowing the way they like to work......the debate is raging over a job which has not yet been done, doesn't mean that its not getting done, nor does it mean that they wont be successful, odds on they will be.

After watching documentaries like the one on Motocycst, the ultimately overwhelming challenge building a Motogp bike is only tackled by a crazy few with very large pockets, two or three of which have never even been successful.

Developing that bike into a consistent race winner in the 800cc electronics era with far less testing certainly doesn't happen overnight, more like 6 months with lots of race data, and 'lot' more pennies if they want to catch those at the front.

frizzle · Mar 28, 2011

Talpa said:
You might be onto something here, especially with the admission from JB that not much has changed on the bike, this more than likely was at the request of Rossi and JB knowing the way they like to work......the debate is raging over a job which has not yet been done, doesn't mean that its not getting done, nor does it mean that they wont be successful, odds on they will be.

After watching documentaries like the one on Motocycst, the ultimately overwhelming challenge building a Motogp bike is only tackled by a crazy few with very large pockets, two or three of which have never even been successful.

Developing that bike into a consistent race winner in the 800cc electronics era with far less testing certainly doesn't happen overnight, more like 6 months with lots of race data, and 'lot' more pennies if they want to catch those at the front.

Look I agree with all that, but the decision to spend a lot of money on an 800cc formula that will be obsolete next year is strange at best. Especially if they are starting this season well behind the other manufacturers and have to play catch up.

Wouldn't they be better off putting their funds and resources into the new 1000cc formula to ensure it doesn't suffer from similar problems to their current bike?

If they fix this bike say by mid season or later, wont it then be too late for a chapionship tilt?

Or as long as they can win races with Vale this year they will be satisfied?

michaelm · Mar 28, 2011

Talpa said:
You might be onto something here, especially with the admission from JB that not much has changed on the bike, this more than likely was at the request of Rossi and JB knowing the way they like to work......the debate is raging over a job which has not yet been done, doesn't mean that its not getting done, nor does it mean that they wont be successful, odds on they will be.

After watching documentaries like the one on Motocycst, the ultimately overwhelming challenge building a Motogp bike is only tackled by a crazy few with very large pockets, two or three of which have never even been successful.

Developing that bike into a consistent race winner in the 800cc electronics era with far less testing certainly doesn't happen overnight, more like 6 months with lots of race data, and 'lot' more pennies if they want to catch those at the front.

I also agree this may well all prove to be true, but it hasn't yet, and criticising stoner for not having done it when it remains to be seen whether it can be done strikes me as unreasonable, although as you well know I am a stoner fan . I could along similar lines argue that stoner is better than rossi because he will win the next 6 championships; this is somewhat less likely than valentino fixing the ducati with its current design

, but the latter is not a certainty imo.

To some extent I think they are constrained by the current design, particularly since the formula is about to become obsolete, so they probably cannot really change things overly even if they wish to. It would be virtually impossible to change the engine configuration from the L4 within the season I would have thought; changing the chassis whilst perhaps not impossible would be difficult. If they can fix it within the constraints it will make their reputation as genius developers even greater as I have said all along. The design of the next bike if this is not already set will say more about what they think of the current design though, imo. I do understand that ducati are putting out a street bike with a narrower angle V2 rather than the traditional L2.

Keshav · Mar 28, 2011

Frizzle said:
Look I agree with all that, but the decision to spend a lot of money on an 800cc formula that will be obsolete next year is strange at best. Especially if they are starting this season well behind the other manufacturers and have to play catch up.

Wouldn't they be better off putting their funds and resources into the new 1000cc formula to ensure it doesn't suffer from similar problems to their current bike?

If they fix this bike say by mid season or later, wont it then be too late for a chapionship tilt?

Or as long as they can win races with Vale this year they will be satisfied?

I've pondered this question too. They are between a rock and a hard place. Clearly - they're not going to be competing for the championship in 2011.

On the other hand... Ducati has to make some kind of concerted effort to make Rossi competitive. Everywhere you look - people are saying

they're expecting major improvements half-way through the season. Ducati have by now, doubtless, taken the temperature of the fans and

and the journalists and have set a target for just that. Not a complete fix - but certainly a good faith effort as a show of faith to the fans

and to Rossi as well. Realistically - when you think about it for a minute - you have to imagine they are hunkering down for a long

and rather fallow season - with an eye toward a big comeback in 2012.

michaelm · Mar 28, 2011

Keshav said:
I've pondered this question too. They are between a rock and a hard place. Clearly - they're not going to be competing for the championship in 2011.

On the other hand... Ducati has to make some kind of concerted effort to make Rossi competitive. Everywhere you look - people are saying

they're expecting major improvements half-way through the season. Ducati have by now, doubtless, taken the temperature of the fans and

and the journalists and have set a target for just that. Not a complete fix - but certainly a good faith effort as a show of faith to the fans

and to Rossi as well. Realistically - when you think about it for a minute - you have to imagine they are hunkering down for a long

and rather fallow season - with an eye toward a big comeback in 2012.

I have been arguing strenuously about assumptions that it is certain rossi/jb will fix the ducati, but I think the opposite proposition also applies in that they are excellent developers and haven't as yet definitively "not fixed" it either.

I don't know how set the design of the 2012 ducati is, but I vaguely recall someone posting something suggesting it was well in train. I think it is pretty well a given that it will have a powerful engine whatever the configuration, but perhaps the current strenuous efforts are aimed at establishing whether the traditional and current ducati design directions are viable; if the L4 engine and current chassis can't be made to work in the 800cc formula ( in terms of the bike being nimble where the L4 is concerned) they are unlikely to work in the new formula.

ozbiker13 · Mar 28, 2011

Jumkie said:
Fair enough J4rno. Please,bare with me on the following, as it may sound a bit like "hating". However, the heal date seems to keep moving further away. At what point did everybody else's injuries count for an off-set of results? Does Rossi only get to be judged on results once his injury heals? Then perhaps we should go back and off-set all rider's performances? Is that fair? Seriously, should we off-set? You know all we do around here is pass judgement on guys where they came in their finishing order. In 07, I cried foul because Hayden was riding a Pedrocycle. Is this not an off-set too? Just like Rossi now, they admit it is a difficult machine for him? You see, its this double standard that Rossi only seems to get that I point out at every corner which has helped me pick up a reputation for hating. But yet, the logic of what I'm saying still remains. Why?

Here is what keeps happening, Rossi fans keep thinking that Rossi can match Stoner on the Ducati. Why???????? Four world champs have failed to match Stoner, and by all accounts, they were actually similar (regardless that you guys will disagree). But Capirossi, Melandri, Hayden, and Rossi are similar in that they did well on smoother more conventional motorcycles. So why would Rossi be any different? Because he's won so many titles? Is that the explanation? Well then, what did he win them on, all conventional bikes. But now we see a desperation to rationalize Rossi's poor performance on injury. You said yourself that wasn't a good enough excuse (do your remember your take after Valencia test? I do). Why can't peeps just say, 'well, chalk up Rossi to another world champ that failed to match Stoner on the pesky and peculiar Ducati.' Is this "hating" (yes, i know you haven't accused me of it) but really now, why hold on to this notion that Rossi will have such a different experience? There are pages and pages on another thread I left where some stubborn member wants to frame the question so unrealitic to make some point that if Rossi had more power, he would have been closer to Stoner. This is clearly a desperate attempt to make sense out of Rossi's struggle, a struggle that is actually the norm for anybody not named Casey Stoner. Hell even JB, a man who unlike any of us would know better, even he was suckered into thinking Stoner was ......... Les you forget, he played off the cue from Rossi into saying Stoner wasn't really pushing.

Anyway brotha, no big deal, its only racing. Nothing important right. You can look back if you like, but I do think Rossi will improve. But not because he is better than Casey on a Ducati, but rather, because they will scrap the Ducati and rebuild something with a Ducati sticker. There is no shame in that as long as we all admit it.

In total agreement. The X factor in Rossi's success has always been that man behind Rossi (no not Uccio) JB, the guy is a genius. I also believe that the Ducati will be totally redesigned to suit Rossi because Rossi isn't as good as Stoner at riding a bike that is a ..... to control. Stoners dirt background helps in that respect. BTW for those who don't know Stoner was awesome on the dirt as well.

J4rn0 · Mar 28, 2011

Some people, when damning Ducati as a .... bike since the beginning of time, only redeemed by Stoner, are forgetting that the same "badly designed" Ducati could have won the title in 2006 with Capirossi, and actually won the last race of the 990 era with Bayliss. There wasn't Stoner yet... The 990s were all about late braking and putting power to the ground on corner exit, and the Ducati design worked pretty well for that.

With the 800 and 22 liters, smoothness and corner speed in 250 style became the key, helped by unprecedented electronic aids. And here we have the Stoner paradox, who made the Ducati look like the best 800 in spite of a design that wasn't good at all for that 250-style ride. They had the best engine, at least in 2007, but the bike was (and is) low and long, with more weight to the rear than any modern GP bike. The Desmosedici is designed more like an old 500 of the '90s...

In the 500 era, riders made bikes turn by sliding the rear wheel and then controlling it with the throttle. Problem with doing the same on a 800/22 is fuel consumption, which is aggravated by traction control. Somehow Stoner solved the puzzle using less TC and a ton of skill, although riding like that was costing him great physical exertion. It was great seeing him ride the Ducati though! But that's the past.

Now, Rossi. He wasn't hired to ride the Ducati like Stoner, even if probably he can come very close to what Casey was doing, when he's physically fit. He was hired to help Ducati change their bike into something that will work with the existing and foreseeable formula and rules, rather than against them... We'll see the results of this work in 2012.

notabikerther4useless · Mar 28, 2011

J4rno, I'm curious.

How did you (and almost everyone else, it seems), come to the conclusion that Rossi "wasn't hired to ride the Ducati like Stoner"?

Why the hell not? He's getting paid megabucks to ride the thing, compared to Stoner. Isn't it reasonable to expect him to ride it at least somewhat like Stoner? How about riding it like Stoner, but a bit better?

And I don't buy the "Ducati wants to fix the bike for all their riders" argument. Ducati would be ecstatic if Rossi performed like Stoner on their bike - ie slaughtering all other Ducati riders. If ever there was a year that Ducati would be prepared to prefer one rider above all others, it is this year.

Rossi and Burgess don't design bikes. I doubt they were hired with any real intent to have them oversee a radical redesign of the Duc. Remember all that talk by Rossi and Burgess about how the Ducati was a good bike? It just needed a little tweaking, they said.

The 800cc will exist for one season. He and Burgess should accept what they've got and get on with it.

edit: In summary, Ducati hired Rossi to win on their bike. As often as he can. Preferably a bit more than Stoner did. They couldn't give a stuff about everyone else, as long as the goat did his job of riding fast. That's all they wanted when they hired him.

J4rn0 · Mar 29, 2011

notabikerther4useless said:
J4rno, I'm curious.

How did you (and almost everyone else, it seems), come to the conclusion that Rossi "wasn't hired to ride the Ducati like Stoner"?

Why the hell not? He's getting paid megabucks to ride the thing, compared to Stoner. Isn't it reasonable to expect him to ride it at least somewhat like Stoner? How about riding it like Stoner, but a bit better?

And I don't buy the "Ducati wants to fix the bike for all their riders" argument. Ducati would be ecstatic if Rossi performed like Stoner on their bike - ie slaughtering all other Ducati riders. If ever there was a year that Ducati would be prepared to prefer one rider above all others, it is this year.

Rossi and Burgess don't design bikes. I doubt they were hired with any real intent to have them oversee a radical redesign of the Duc. Remember all that talk by Rossi and Burgess about how the Ducati was a good bike? It just needed a little tweaking, they said.

The 800cc will exist for one season. He and Burgess should accept what they've got and get on with it.

edit: In summary, Ducati hired Rossi to win on their bike. As often as he can. Preferably a bit more than Stoner did. They couldn't give a stuff about everyone else, as long as the goat did his job of riding fast. That's all they wanted when they hired him.

Of course Ducati hired Rossi to win, and of course they maybe hoped their bike's design would not need major changes -- but their strategic aim in this operation (Rossi+Burgess and team, not just Rossi) is to end up with a MotoGP bike that can be a winner with more than one rider. Just as their Superbike can win with several riders. That's the key. Going from being Stoner-dependent to be Rossi-dependent wouldn't be the real change they need and want.

notabikerther4useless · Mar 29, 2011

J4rn0 said:
Of course Ducati hired Rossi to win, and of course they maybe hoped their bike's design would not need major changes -- but their strategic aim in this operation (Rossi+Burgess and team, not just Rossi) is to end up with a MotoGP bike that can be a winner with more than one rider. Just as their Superbike can win with several riders. That's the key. Going from being Stoner-dependent to be Rossi-dependent wouldn't be the real change they need and want.

Call me a cynic but it seems convenient that a lot of Rossi's fans are placing the finish line further and further away.....hang on a sec....is that it? I'll just go and get my binoculars......

2012, you now say? Rossi and co. will be in the think-tank till then? Shaving grams and boiling beakers, busy busy busy??? And then he might get injured....

Burky · Mar 29, 2011

notabikerther4useless said:
Call me a cynic but it seems convenient that a lot of Rossi's fans are placing the finish line further and further away.....hang on a sec....is that it? I'll just go and get my binoculars......

2012, you now say? Rossi and co. will be in the think-tank till then? Shaving grams and boiling beakers, busy busy busy??? And then he might get injured....

It's a dream world for some Useless, where the sun always shines and nothing goes wrong...... until it goes wrong!

It's a dream ride, Italian hero on an Italian bike, but perhaps fairytales don't always come true. Maybe a few years ago this could have worked, but I'm inclined to think that Valentino's days of domination are certainly over, and with that overwhelming confidence dwindling along with it go the chances of Valentino winning another World Title, on a Ducati, or any other bike once this contract is completed.

It's not a sad thing, times change, and no doubt Valentino will always be a celebrity in the motorsport scene. Maybe, just maybe, Valentino is in the twilight of his racing carreer. Maybe, just maybe, he doesn't have 'the same' drive and enthusiasm he has displayed in previous years. Maybe he has nothing left to prove, and now being given something to prove, isn't 'enjoying' it! Why should he 'ride the socks off the thing' risking further injury, something he is becoming prone to as 'old age' sets in, to prove himself?

I'm not convinced by the arguement saying that Ducati want to make the bike like a Yamaha, or a Honda.... rideable, just to suit Valentino! Bike manufacturers are in Moto GP to sell bikes, lets be blunt, not to 'please' Moto GP riders. There are factors other than which bike won the World Title that sell bikes. When the consumer hears the words Ducati and Yamaha, it evokes two different mind sets, and maybe the consumer would rather pretend he has a big knob in black leathers than look cool in colourful leathers with a ... on his back!!!!!!

Of course, Burgess and co will 'tweak' the bike to suit Valentino, and I for one hope he has his glory days on it. But I cannot in my wildest dreams 'now' imagine Valentino being consistent enough throughout an entire season on the Ducati, against the new younger chargers to be a threat for another World Title.

dwoodhouse · Mar 29, 2011

Keshav said:
I've pondered this question too. They are between a rock and a hard place. Clearly - they're not going to be competing for the championship in 2011.

On the other hand... Ducati has to make some kind of concerted effort to make Rossi competitive. Everywhere you look - people are saying

they're expecting major improvements half-way through the season. Ducati have by now, doubtless, taken the temperature of the fans and

and the journalists and have set a target for just that. Not a complete fix - but certainly a good faith effort as a show of faith to the fans

and to Rossi as well. Realistically - when you think about it for a minute - you have to imagine they are hunkering down for a long

and rather fallow season - with an eye toward a big comeback in 2012.

I have quoted Alex Briggs once before and he stated on twitter - they have a good bike at the moment but they need a great bike. The parts to make it great are not currently on the bike but will be during the year.

I don't think they will do a major re-design this year for the reasons people have put forward. They will make some parts designed to improve specific issues and therefore reduce some of the deficiencies allowing the strengths to come more into play.

2012 I would expect a completely different bike - they should now know where the deficiencies in the bike are and what is causing that. If the 2012 bike is not designed to remove those issues, I'll be shocked.

michaelm · Mar 29, 2011

J4rn0 said:
Some people, when damning Ducati as a .... bike since the beginning of time, only redeemed by Stoner, are forgetting that the same "badly designed" Ducati could have won the title in 2006 with Capirossi, and actually won the last race of the 990 era with Bayliss. There wasn't Stoner yet... The 990s were all about late braking and putting power to the ground on corner exit, and the Ducati design worked pretty well for that.

With the 800 and 22 liters, smoothness and corner speed in 250 style became the key, helped by unprecedented electronic aids. And here we have the Stoner paradox, who made the Ducati look like the best 800 in spite of a design that wasn't good at all for that 250-style ride. They had the best engine, at least in 2007, but the bike was (and is) low and long, with more weight to the rear than any modern GP bike. The Desmosedici is designed more like an old 500 of the '90s...

In the 500 era, riders made bikes turn by sliding the rear wheel and then controlling it with the throttle. Problem with doing the same on a 800/22 is fuel consumption, which is aggravated by traction control. Somehow Stoner solved the puzzle using less TC and a ton of skill, although riding like that was costing him great physical exertion. It was great seeing him ride the Ducati though! But that's the past.

Now, Rossi. He wasn't hired to ride the Ducati like Stoner, even if probably he can come very close to what Casey was doing, when he's physically fit. He was hired to help Ducati change their bike into something that will work with the existing and foreseeable formula and rules, rather than against them... We'll see the results of this work in 2012.

I agree with most of this, including the capability of the 2006 ducati and the physical toll the 800cc ducati took on stoner, but perhaps not necessarily that they specifically wanted rossi and jb to aid re-design of the bike. They had already tried to sign jorge who does not have such a record as a developer, and as you have pointed out the supply of aliens was becoming short by the time they signed valentino whom they probably had not envisaged becoming available previously. I am sure they would be happy for rossi to win championships any way he can with or without radical re-design of the bike, but also expect there was mutual agreement about re-design if it was necessary.

I think stoner's broad smile which hasn't faded since he first hopped on the honda reflected relief at how much easier the honda was to ride as much as happiness about his prospects. Even in 2007 he had to wind himself pretty tight because even if relatively faster then the bike still didn't function well except quite near the edge.

I am still not quite sure what happened to the 2010 ducati since I didn't think the 2009 bike was too bad; I suspect tyres are somewhat involved as you do.

I see no reason why rossi should suddenly be in decline having been close to the top of his game this time last year, unless the shoulder is permanently disabling. I also agree it is unreasonable to expect him to ride it like stoner did at the end of last season even if he can (which as you say is quite possible), since this involved something like a 50% crash rate mixed in with the wins which is not the way to win world championships and not his recent habit as far as riding goes, but encountering the bike is probably what has changed his assessment of stoner from "not pushing hard enough" to "10/10 for talent and speed", but also a "madman".

Have you overheard any murmurings in Italy about the design of next year's bike?.

Jeremy Burgess Interview

Help Support MotoGP Forum:

Keshav

frizzle

dwoodhouse

Keshav

michaelm

michaelm

michaelm

Talpa

frizzle

michaelm

Keshav

michaelm

ozbiker13

J4rn0

notabikerther4useless

J4rn0

notabikerther4useless

Burky

dwoodhouse

michaelm

Similar threads

Recent Discussions

Recent Discussions