Joined Jul 2006
11K Posts | 291+
Texas
Joined Aug 2009
1K Posts | 328+
Vancouver
Joined Nov 2015
130 Posts | 67+
Seattle
Either that or he's too smart. Anybody who goes to Ducati who isn't named Stoner ends up having a real bad time over there...unless winning a championship isn't a priority for them, in which case it's probably nice to collect a fat paycheck. If he wants to win the championship, I don't see why he'd even consider Ducati.
He's probably just using that as a negotiation tactic with Yamaha.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
That's funny, I write "has been chosen" and you promptly translate "Rossi has chosen". Ehehehe. Pure PS/BS style.
It's really exciting debating like this, isn't it.
Wild guess: Rossi's successor at Yamaha "has been chosen" by... Yamaha!
Assuming all this actually materializes of course -- for the moment it's more like serious intentions, but still intentions.
Agreed 22 as when I first saw that VR had re-signed with Yamaha the first thought that popped into my head was 'well, Yamaha have just displayed who their #1 rider truly is within their minds' as to me, you sign your #1 first and build from there.
This is a big slap in the face in ways for Lorenzo but at the same time is a very good and smart play by Rossi as now he does not have concerns surrounding 2017 and he has applied additional pressure outside of his team by being the first to sign
Whether it is good for Yamaha is another story.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Relax. There will be an entire season's time to complain about Rossi's political sweep over the series, his "totally undeserved" continuing appreciation by Yamaha and others, etc. etc. :happy:
As Lin Jarvis said yesterday: this man was 2nd in the Championship for the last two years. No manufacturer needs more than that to hire a rider.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Hello there, it's 2016. This Ducati is not that Ducati any more.
What I keep hearing is that Jorge will in fact go to Ducati. The only other option he has is to accept the (very good) contract that Yamaha already offered him, and he declined to sign. Rossi promptly signed his own, that's all there is to it.
May be true ..........
But at the same time, just like Marquez he is not a 'friend' or Rossi and with the Ducati seemingly improved dramatically one wonders if the lure of dollars firstly but also the lure of winning on a bike on which VR achieved squat may be an incentive.
Sure the cries of 'but it was not the same Ducati' will be long, loud and in so many ways true, but there may well be an incentive for Lorenzo to try another machine (lets be honest, Rossi has achieved a lot by riding multiple machines and I suspect that JL/MM etc want to be seen in the same light)
Yeah can see what you mean, it would be funny to see Lorenzo do well on the duc.
Still think he wants to win more champs than Rossi on the yam
Still think he wants to win more champs than Rossi on the yam
Ducati/Yamaha and later Honda (maybe right now) are in a very equivalent performance. Ducati is definitely championship material. You should stay in present time, not in 2010.
But personally I would not like Lorenzo in Ducati.
Joined Jan 2016
801 Posts | 401+
Uk
Lap times in practice and qualifying are close, but race conditions are an unknown quantity yet. I suggest waiting at least until half season before making statements like that matey...
Interesting is this is correct .............. more fuel to the fire
Lorenzo doesn?t have ?balls? for Ducati switch, says Rossi
Valentino Rossi thinks that his factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo doesn’t have the “balls” to leave the team in favour of Ducati at the end of the season.
Lorenzo’s future remains the subject of intense speculation, with the Spaniard yet to accept an offer by Yamaha to extend his current contract that expires at the end of 2016.
And Rossi, who spent two difficult years at Ducati in 2011 and 2012 before returning to Yamaha, predicts Lorenzo will end up staying put instead of gambling on a switch to the Italian marque.
“To sign with Ducati you need to be brave, you need big balls,” said Rossi. “So I think Lorenzo stays with Yamaha."
Asked why he ended up signing a new two-year contract with Yamaha before the start of the season, Rossi added: “I was thinking of waiting for a few races, but then Yamaha made me an offer.
“They were happy, I was happy, so why not?”
Lorenzo has "more options" than Rossi
For his part, Lorenzo asserted that his scenario differs from that of Rossi, as he has more options outside of his current employers than his teammate.
"I'm in a different situation from Valentino,” the Spaniard told Movistar. “I am the defending champion and with my past [no problems with other teams], I have more options and can wait.
“I have had a proposal [from Yamaha] on the table for a week, which is what I wanted. It’s very good, better than the current contract. It's a big deal but I decided to wait.”
Lorenzo doesn?t have ?balls? for Ducati switch, says Rossi
Valentino Rossi thinks that his factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo doesn’t have the “balls” to leave the team in favour of Ducati at the end of the season.
Lorenzo’s future remains the subject of intense speculation, with the Spaniard yet to accept an offer by Yamaha to extend his current contract that expires at the end of 2016.
And Rossi, who spent two difficult years at Ducati in 2011 and 2012 before returning to Yamaha, predicts Lorenzo will end up staying put instead of gambling on a switch to the Italian marque.
“To sign with Ducati you need to be brave, you need big balls,” said Rossi. “So I think Lorenzo stays with Yamaha."
Asked why he ended up signing a new two-year contract with Yamaha before the start of the season, Rossi added: “I was thinking of waiting for a few races, but then Yamaha made me an offer.
“They were happy, I was happy, so why not?”
Lorenzo has "more options" than Rossi
For his part, Lorenzo asserted that his scenario differs from that of Rossi, as he has more options outside of his current employers than his teammate.
"I'm in a different situation from Valentino,” the Spaniard told Movistar. “I am the defending champion and with my past [no problems with other teams], I have more options and can wait.
“I have had a proposal [from Yamaha] on the table for a week, which is what I wanted. It’s very good, better than the current contract. It's a big deal but I decided to wait.”
If Yamaha have made Jorge a good offer, which he has said they did, on equal terms at the same time they made Rossi an offer then I have no problem with Yamaha.
I think Jorge would be stupid to go to Ducati, hence Rossi is being petulant if he did say this. Valentino may have gone to Yamaha in the first place because he had balls, but he went to Ducati in a fit of pique.
I am sure they do loathe each other, but as has been said the common theme for a number of strong antipathies over the years is that they have been between rider X/whomever and one Valentino Rossi.
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Joined Feb 2016
208 Posts | 107+
Mongolia
Rossi would love and goad Lorenzo to go to Ducati because Rossi doesn't have the balls to have equal or better teammates. He tried to push Lorenzo out before but didn't work, so Rossi went to Ducati and failed miserably there. Hopefully Lorenzo stays at Yamaha and hands Rossi his arse for the next three years.
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
You make it sound as if Lorenzo has no option to stay at Yamaha, like Rossi has spoken and picked his successor . Well that's not so. Lorenzo has a contract in hand and its up to him if he stays at Yamaha. Personally if I were him, I would stay just to spite Rossi and probably cause Yamaha to lose Vinales. That is unless Ducati's offer is off the charts like 17 to 20 million. Staying at Yamaha to be a Yamaha man at retirement is a fools errand. Yamaha has placed their eggs in the Rossi retirement basket, apparel, the Academy etc etc. Lorenzo would be nothing in retirement with them.
