Hope so…be good to see him win again.

Looking like it

A rematch of Rossi V’s Lorenzo is great, a shame Stoner can’t be there to make it a three way battle (won’t miss the moaning though).
Cal to Ducati? Actually i hope not, the Duc is a career destroyer- unless of course Cal can make it work like Nicky Hayden has.

Bradley Smith to Tech 3???

And when he gets pummelled by George then the legend of the GOAT will finally be destroyed 😥
When you think of the name Michael Schumacher now, what do you think of? 7 time world champ or slightly past it,trying too hard,getting schooled by the new faster generation.
Vale should have fought and stayed….or walked away.

Bradley is a done deal, Dovi is the big loser here, I hope he gets a good Honda deal on a satellite team.

When you think of the name Michael Schumacher now, what do you think of?

Actually i still think of him as the German Shunt (remember the Aussie GP when he shoehorned our Damon Hill off the track?) and i do still think of him as a 7 time world champ…..
Schuey is a racer and it’s something he just can’t give up. And if he’s still good enough to even sit in an F1 car, then why shouldn’t he?

Not sure J Lo will pummell him, it will be interesting to see. Im looking forward to Bradl V’s Marquez on big bikes though 😀

Not quite the same situation as MS….either way be interesting to watch

Dovi is the big loser here, I hope he gets a good Honda deal on a satellite team

Yes- hopefully Gresini will stop faffing about with CRT and give him a second GP bike.

Rossi to Yamaha, Dovizioso to Ducati and Cal to stay at Tech 3, or ride a factory Ducati in a one-man satellite team. That just leaves Gresini, who may or may not stick with Bautista.

Ducati getting desperate and call in the man from Yam…

Masao Furusawa, who oversaw the technical transformation of Yamaha’s MotoGP project during Valentino Rossi’s time at the team, has confirmed that he was recently “asked to help Ducati”.

Furusawa was put in charge of Yamaha’s struggling MotoGP project in 2003, when the M1 took just a single podium. Furusawa went on to celebrate four MotoGP riders’ titles with Rossi, plus a fifth for Jorge Lorenzo by the time he retired at the end of 2010, when Rossi moved to Ducati.

The Italian team’s contact with Furusawa appears to have been one final effort to try and convince Rossi to stay for 2013. Rossi, who has rarely been comfortable with the handling of the Ducati, is widely expected to return to Yamaha next year with an official announcement imminent

The Dr is leaving the house – official. Oh dear the Dr hasn’t been able to cure the Ducati and is leaving with his tail between his legs to a bike he knows can win. Mmmmmmm shame he failed to do what Casey did and win a world title on it. I am a Rossi fan and I must admit it was sort of the marriage made in heaven but it failed miserably and so lets hope next season things change.

For Burgess and Rossi not to have made the Ducati work better it would suggest that the bike is inherently flawed and needs to be totally redesigned, either that or Ducati aren’t doing as asked.

Comparing the bike when Stoner was riding several years ago and this season isn’t really a fair comparison as everybody has moved one technologically.

It’d be great to see Rossi winning again or at least showing how good he is, with a last season with a few wins and some good racing (like Chili in WSB for example)
Moto GP needs this as it has been getting duller for sure, with Moto2 being so much more interesting racing wise, I’m even fininding F1 as interesting or more so than the GP

http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/182765/1/yamaha_confirm_valentino_rossis_return.html

Wouldn’t it be hysterical if Cal got on the Dukr and kept putting it in the top 6? 🙂

Maybe Cal and Bradders @ Tech3 then

From Crash.net…

Andrea Dovizioso is tipped to take the place of fellow Italian Valentino Rossi at the factory Ducati MotoGP team next season.

It was officially confirmed on Friday that seven time MotoGP champion Rossi will return to Yamaha in 2013, having taken just two podiums from 27 starts on the Desmosedici.

According to the Italian media, including GPone.com and SportMediaset.it, Dovizioso has agreed a two-year deal to take over The Doctor’s Ducati.

I dont think the Duc would suit Cal- he’s ridden Jap bikes all through his career. Hope Dovi makes a go of it, he has soooo much talent and he put’s a great race together.
I want to see him at the front with the others…

I’m with the above, having watched the way Cal rode the Yamaha he seems to carry lots of corner speed, which is something that you can’t do on the Ducati, because of its vague front end.

Dovi is the better fit.

Oh dear, he just had to open his gob didn’t he?

Oh dear, he just had to open his gob……

He does make some valid points though. Besides he probably doesn’t care now, off to pastures new.

Hope Dovi makes a go of it, he has soooo much talent and he put’s a great race together.
I want to see him at the front with the others…

Thats funny, he’s had a factory Honda ride for years & has hardly won anything.

Ducati have a solid rider and an ex champion in Hayden.

Dovi had is chance to prove himself on a factor bike, at possible the biggest team. He won one race i think a wet race at donington.

I think ducati should take a punt on one of the agressive Moto2 riders, maybe Redding (although i think he’ll probably end up on a satalite ducati next year)

cor Blimey that’s a big off

He was 1.5 seconds a lap quicker than Lorenzo in practice so was really flying. He has got something to moan about now 😉

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motogp/19309138

Tyre off the rim 😯 big big high side.

Hayden out now 🙁

Lots of crashes which is a bit of a worry

Lots of crashes which is a bit of a worry

Its not wendyball :-), or to quote Max – ‘not ballroom dancing’

No its not wendyball but crashes often lead to injuries and don’t want those. Moto 3 and Moto 2 could be a bit scary 😯

Official medical comments for nicky hayden

Unlucky- that was a strange crash really, just looked a bit loose to start with….

Now official then…

Yamaha Tech 3’s Dovizioso, 26, will join team-mate Nicky Hayden at Ducati until 2014 after seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi opted to switch back to Yamaha next season.

“The agreement reached with Andrea Dovizioso confirms the company’s primary interest in racing, which is an active and strategic part of Ducati’s DNA and heritage,” said President Gabriele Del Torchio in a statement.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Andrea, as we marshal our best efforts in confronting the MotoGP World Championship.”

Cal is a bit pissesd off according to MCN

Justifiably so, they’ve behaved very badly indeed.
Luckily, he behaved with dignity and Herve seems to still want him in the team

Probably for the best, TBH.
No one would want him after a couple of years flinging Ducatis into the gravel.

He’s better off staying with Tech 3 and proving his consistency next year.

I feel a bit sorry for Ben Spies. Luckily for him, he’s purty.

I think it’s better for Cal, he can be team captain and not have Dovi holding him up in the races

Better to be best sattelite than worst factory!

Rusty, yes indeed. I agree. Wait for Rossi or Jorge to leave and like up for a works Yamaha

Either way, Crutchlow needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. He’s already jepordised his Yamaha ride by speaking out of turn, now he’s saying “Ducati lied to me”…. that (for better or worse) has kicked himself out of any short term future Ducati ride….

There’s only so many factories you can pi55 off before there are no bikes left to ride.

I love Cal as a rider, but he needs to start showing some decorum and common sense.

Trouble with MotoGP is there are only four bikes available that really offer a good chance of winning.

If you’re not on one, then your options are – get on a decent satellite bike and ride well enough to get a full works bike (Gresini/Tech3); get paid loads of money with no chance of winning (Factory Ducati); get paid a little bit with no chance of winning (Satellite Ducati) or ride round on a mobile chicane in the form of a pimped up superbike with dodgy electronics wondering why the hell you don’t go to WSB and at least do some proper racing (CRT).

2013? With Stoner and Spies gone it’s even less competitive. Hopefully Rossi vs Lorenzo will be a good enough showdown to disguise the fact that MotoGP has become incredibly dull in recent times. How many last lap battles have there been? How many times have three or more riders fought for the lead? Much as I hate to say it, F1 has been more exciting. 😮

Casey Stoner is back in Australia having ankle surgery and thus missing Brno, effectively throwing in the championship towel.
Anyone else see him staying in Australia and calling it a day early?

Anyone else see him staying in Australia and calling it a day early?

Yep, and I pretty much predicted it on Page 6.