Ducati News Today

Not that the Rossi to Ducati fire needed any more fuel but comments Valentino Rossi made to the BBC immediately prior to the final race of the 2009 MotoGP season about his future and his relationship with Yamaha and his fast team-mate have re-ignited the debate about the champions future plans.

The master of positioning, it appears that Rossi has started his 2011 negotiations already (the World Champion is under contract to Yamaha for 2010) warning the Japanese factory that 2 lead riders in one team doesn’t go and that he indeed could move to Ducati. This time the source isn’t the Italian or Spanish media but BBC Sport.

“Yamaha have to decide between me and Jorge for 2011,” Rossi told BBC Two. “I have a great option to join Ducati. I am not sure 100% if I will stay with Yamaha,” said Rossi. It depends on what happens next year. It depends on my performance and the fight with Jorge Lorenzo and the decision of Yamaha for 2011. I could change bike, ride for Ducati and try to win the world championship with an Italian bike. That would be a great motivation.”

Softening his attack, he next provided balance by speaking to his ‘special’ relationship with Yamaha with whom he has won 4 World titles.

“But I prefer at this moment to stay with Yamaha because the love between me and Yamaha, our relationship, is something special. To change bike would feel unfaithful. So for Yamaha it is important that I finish my career with them and for me it is also important. “

link: BBC Sport

After rapid coverage of his comments in the media he started to back peddle telling La Gazzetta dello Sport that his words had been ‘incorrectly interpreted’.

Rossi took a shotgun approach to the story, telling the MotoGP press that the statements were taken out of context, hypothetical and that he has no control over what Yamaha does, anyway. He said that he has never spoken to anyone at Ducati about riding there and just mentioned Ducati as possible suitor in sort of a ‘thinking out loud’ fashion.

link: Superbike Planet

Although Rossi’s comments to the BBC appear pretty unambiguous, he is the master of manipulating media coverage to ensure that appropriate parties get the signals he wants to send them. Whether Rossi is bound for Ducati in 2011 depends on a number of factors not least the relative performance of the Yamaha and Ducati next year and how well Lorenzo stacks up to the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Ducati News Today still believes it is more likely than not that Rossi will finish his career with Ducati in order to be able to surpass Giacomo Agostini’s win record on an Italian machine. At the moment the rhetoric is on our side.

What do you think? Is Rossi seriously considering a move to Ducati for 2011 or just messing with Yamaha to improve his negotiating position? Chime in with your views in the comments section below.

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