Ducati News Today

Encouraged by the Italian press, which has been talking up the contrast between Carlos Checa’s World Superbike title chase and that of Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, Superbike points leader Checa wants to race Rossi at the evocative Imola circuit later this month.

Checa, clearly on a high from celebrating Ducati’s 300th Superbike victory, spoke with Gazetta dello Sport and urged Rossi to join him on a Ducati 1198R Superbike to contest the Imola round on September 25th. Carlos had some swagger since in Assen, his fastest race lap on his Superbike was a 10th quicker than Rossi managed on the Desmosedici GP11.1.

“This has aroused a big debate in Italy and I’m starting to like it” remarked the Spaniard. “I’m becoming a little Italian and to be honest, I enjoy being faster than him. I was at Assen and Silverstone and that means that I’m riding well. It’s not normal to post the same times with a production based bike as a prototype, that means that Rossi has problems……I’m confident that if he raced with the 1198 he would enjoy it a lot and I would really like to race against him. On September 25th we’re at Imola and there are no conflicting schedules with MotoGP, so I’d like to officially invite him. Valentino come at least once.“

link: Two Wheels Blog

This isn’t the first time that Rossi has been involved in a Superbike vs MotoGP war of words as he and 3 time World Champion Troy Bayliss were often goaded to have a shoot out. Bayliss considered the matter dealt with on the MotoGP circuit.

“The duel? Vale is a phenomenon, but I won that duel in the Valencia in 2006, when I returned to MotoGP and won with the Ducati and he unfortunately crashed.” said the last ever rider to take victory on a 990cc machine.”

link: Bayliss to Rossi: “Doubt it Mate” | Ducati News Today

Rossi has hinted that he might ultimately end up in the World Superbike Championship once he is done with MotoGP and on the few occasions that he has ridden a Superbike he has both enjoyed it and been fast. During his final test before returning to competition in 2010 he rode James Toseland’s factory R1 the day after the Brno round of the World Superbike Championship and turned in times under Cal Crutchlow’s race lap record on the same bike……with a broken leg. Rossi is also a winner of the Suzuka 8 hour race with Colin Edwards.

Asked for his comments at the Misano MotoGP round last weekend, Rossi was dismissive of the contest saying it was “highly unlikely he would accept Checa’s challenge“. For his part, unlike fellow aging racer Capirossi, Checa seems to have no intention of retiring and will test the Ducati 1199 Superbike soon.

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