Rossi is the reigning MotoGP champion. But he has been facing strong competition from within his Yamaha team. Jorge Lorenzo, a young Spaniard, is leading the series and appears to be the face [...]]]> Aug 16th

Valentino Rossi, the great Italian motorcycle rider, confirmed recent rumors that he will be joining Ducati MotoGP in 2011.

Rossi is the reigning MotoGP champion. But he has been facing strong competition from within his Yamaha team. Jorge Lorenzo, a young Spaniard, is leading the series and appears to be the face of Yamaha’s future. For the last couple of years, the team has been unable to conceal the two riders’ dislike of each other.

Rumors about a Rossi move to Ducati have swirled around the MotoGP paddock for months. But they grew stronger when Ducati rider Casey Stoner announced in July a move from the Italian outfit to the Repsol Honda team. It was all but certain that an announcement from Rossi about a jump to Ducati would come soon after. The terms of the deal were not revealed, though it is believed to be around $19 million a year.

Aug 5th

The Yamaha racer is widely expected to join the Italian team next season following Casey Stoner’s exit.

“Recent news which has appeared on websites has been misreported and must be attributed to the many rumours circulating lately,” said a statement.

“Whether and when a deal is reached an official press release will be issued.”

Present world champion Stoner recently announced he was leaving Ducati at the end of the season to  link up with Honda, which would create the vacancy for the Italian rider and Italian manufacturer to unite.

Valentino has just returned to action following a broken leg which looks to have ended any practical chance he had of retaining his world title this year, as he now lies fifth in the standings.

His Fiat Yamaha Team Mate Jorge Lorenzo is the leader, 72 points clear of nearest match Dani Pedrosa.

Earlier this week, Ducati chief executive and president Gabriele Del Torchio had been quoted as saying Rossi would be paired with American Nicky Hayden in the company’s 2011 MotoGP team, but they have now backtracked.

“Regarding the recent allegations attributed to Mr del Torchio, Ducati states that no agreement has been reached with the riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden for the future Moto GP season, although our interest in these riders remains,” said the Ducati statement.

Despite Ducati’s reserve, Rossi is widely expected to announce the end of his seven-year association with Fiat Yamaha during the next round of the MotoGP championship, at Brno in the Czech Republic on 14-15 August.

Yamaha racing boss Lin Jarvis recently stated he wanted his rider line-up for next year finalised before the Brno race weekend, with World Superbikes champion Ben Spies tipped to be named as Lorenzo’s new team-mate.

The Italian rider, who sustained the injury in practice for the Italian Grand Prix, tested a Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike at a private test session at [...]]]>

Rossi is back!

MotoGP 2010.

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has made a successful return to action, less than five weeks after breaking his leg in a crash.

The Italian rider, who sustained the injury in practice for the Italian Grand Prix, tested a Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike at a private test session at the Misano circuit and completed 26 laps.

He will make a decision on his participation at the German Grand Prix within the next week and told www.motogp.com: “The test was positive, because I can at least ride, but there is a lot more to a MotoGP race than to a test like this one. I had some pain in the ankle, the knee and the shoulder, but above all I lacked strength in the shoulder and a bit of movement in the ankle.”

Rossi added: “I would really like to come back at Sachsenring, but it is still too early to say. We still have 12 days and we must wait and see how much we can improve my condition in the next few days.”

Rossi finished 11 laps before returning to the track for 15 more, recording a best lap time of one minute 38.200 seconds. The 31-year-old was expected to be out of action for three to four months.

Valentino Rossi has been walking on crutches since the end of last month. His Spanish team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is leading the championship by 52 points after winning the last three races. Rossi has slipped to seventh overall.

Moto GP world champion Valentino Rossi completed on Monday a second successful testing session since breaking his leg last month. Rossi completed 46 laps on a Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike, the same  GP bike he rode on his return to racing a week ago at the Misano circuit in Italy. His best time on Monday was 1 minute, 59.135 seconds.

“Today was good, I felt better than in Misano but I still feel quite tired after a few laps and a race will be a much bigger question,” Rossi said.

The 31-year old Rossi is contemplating a return to competitive action at the weekend at the German Grand Prix, but could delay until the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno on Aug. 15.

“We haven’t made the final decision yet,” he said “I need to have some more x-rays on Wednesday and then my doctors and I will consider whether I can ride at Sachsenring.”

If he was to ride in Germany, he would require clearance from the Moto GP medical director. If he does not pass the required tests, Japanese rider Wataru Yoshikawa will again replace Rossi, as he did at the Catalan Grand Prix earlier in the month.

The seven-time champion underwent surgery for two-and-a-half hours following a crash in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on June 5. He was expected to be out of action for three to four months.

Varying media reports in recent weeks have had Valentino Rossi signing for Ducati [...]]]> Valentino Rossi off to Ducati

The debate over Valentino Rossi’s future could be set to be cleared up as soon as this weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona, a source close to Crash.net has hinted.

Switching to Ducati from Yamaha

Varying media reports in recent weeks have had Valentino Rossi signing for Ducati Corse, staying put at FIAT Yamaha and then signing for Ducati again only this time with the carrot of some future Ferrari F1 test – and perhaps even race – outings thrown in for good measure, but still there has been nothing official to confirm. It appears fans may not have much longer to wait.

According to a paddock insider at Catalunya, the record-breaking multiple MotoGP World Champion has agreed terms with Ducati to join the Italian manufacturer from 2011 onwards, replacing Casey Stoner who looks to be Repsol Honda-bound.

Ducati

In the 31-year-old’s place at FIAT Yamaha would graduate Ben Spies, who over the last two races at Silverstone and Assen has laid down a genuine marker with a podium finish and a fourth place for the satellite Tech 3 squad.

It is widely believed that Rossi’s unwillingness to partner Jorge Lorenzo for another season – after issuing a dramatic if subsequently retracted ultimatum late last year that it would be either him or the Spaniard at FIAT Yamaha in 2011.

With the bottom line being that the team wasn’t big enough for the both of them – has hit an insurmountable stumbling-block in his employer’s desire to retain the current runaway pace-setter’s services, regarding him at just 23 years of age as the future, and indisputably a world champion in-the-making.

That, it would appear, was the final tipping-point for the Urbino native, and with Ducati having made no secret of its desire to poach ‘The Doctor’ away – and stumping up a big-money offer in its efforts to do so – Yamaha’s immovable object has seemingly met Rossi’s irresistible force and the fallout looks likely to leave the most successful rider of the modern era set for a future in red. Perhaps both on bikes and in cars.

The two-time Japanese Superbike Champion will ride in the place of the injured Valentino Rossi, with Rossi’s [...]]]>

MotoGP: Filling in for Valentino Rossi

Yamaha Motor Racing is pleased to announce that Wataru Yoshikawa, their experienced Japanese test rider, will join the Fiat Yamaha Team from the Barcelona round of the MotoGP World Championship.

The two-time Japanese Superbike Champion will ride in the place of the injured Valentino Rossi, with Rossi’s team and the YZR-M1, until the Italian is back to full fitness following his broken leg.

Tech 3 rider Colin Edwards had been viewed as one of the favourites to step up and replace Rossi, but with that leaving Tech 3 then on the hunt for a new rider, Yamaha has instead turned to the relatively unknown two-time Japanese Superbike Champion to take over the best bike/team combo in MotoGP.

It is expected that Yoshikawa will be with the Fiat Yamaha Team for at least three races, after which more should be known about Rossi’s expected return date.

Rossi’s Spanish team mate Jorge Lorenzo is leading the championship after five races and will again be the solo Fiat Yamaha rider at the Dutch GP at Assen on Saturday.

Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis said the team had considered all options before opting for the veteran tester.

“We had always planned to use a rider from within the Yamaha Motor and Tech 3 family,” he said.

“But for each rider we considered who is in active competition, their move to the Fiat Yamaha Team would have created another problem for their own racing program or for the teams in which they are engaged.”

Jarvis said Yoshikawa had the experience and would also allow the team to fulfil their contractual obligations to series promoters.

“I’m happy to have this chance to stand-in for Valentino while he is recovering and to compete in MotoGP again for the first time since 2002, when I raced at Motegi,” said Yoshikawa, who won Japanese superbike titles in 1994 and 1999.

Yoshikawa has raced once before in MotoGP, competing as a wild card in 2002.

MotoGP boss Davide Brivio has said he would not replace Valentino Rossi with a second rider if it was not for a contractual obligation.

The nine-time World Champion will be out of action for the forseeable future after the Italian [...]]]>

Valentino Rossi, Out of Moto GP for Six Weeks

FIAT YAMAHA MOTOGP:

MotoGP boss Davide Brivio has said he would not replace Valentino Rossi with a second rider if it was not for a contractual obligation.

The nine-time World Champion will be out of action for the forseeable future after the Italian broke his right shin during practice at Mugello MotoGP.

“If it was up to us we wouldn’t replace Valentino, but the contracts force us to,” Brivio told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We have two test riders, but they are a bit slow, and to see an excessive gap among riders isn’t nice. Unfortunately it’s difficult to find an available rider at MotoGP level.”

As you’d expect, the rumour mill is red hot with potential candidates to fill Rossi’s seat for the next few races; 2009 World Supersport Champion Cal Crutchlow, Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards and Moto2 frontrunner Yuki Takahashi are all hot names for the most-prized seat in motorcycle racing

Rossi’s bid to retain his world title has been ended by the injury, which could see him sidelined for four to five months. However, the 31-year-old remains upbeat.

He said: “I’ll come back soon. I was afraid, now it’s a lot better. It will take time, the important thing is to return to 100%.
“It was a bad fall, a bad injury, but it’s going well.”

Ferrari suggested Valentino Rossi to test in Formula 1 before returning to MotoGP after the Doctor was involved in a bad crash during the Italian Grand Prix qualifications.

Even though Rossi will “wear” crutches in the following six weeks, the multiple MotoGP world champion was invited to test a Ferrari F1 car before coming back in the motorcycles competition, according to a statement made by Luca di Montezemolo, Scuderia President.

“Everyone at Ferrari is with you at this difficult time. We are sure that you will be back on track soon, even stronger than before. If during your convalescense you feel you would like to do some training on four wheels, then remember that the door to Maranello is always open to you,” wished Luca di Montezemolo to Rossi via Ferrari’s official site.

Rossi tested a lot of times for Ferrari an is heavily rumored that the Italian is wanted in Formula 1, if Scuderia’s proposal that top F1 teams to have three drivers is approved.