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Total votes: 203

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I think Valentino has endured a difficult time at Ducati, but he was seriously expecting a leap with the new specs, and that didn't happen, specially compared to Honda and Yamaha. I'm not a Rossi fan, but every MotoGP fan should recognize he is a true living legend. His problem perhaps is that he is victim of his extraordinary success rate, therefore he is not someone used to face adversity, and in my opinion, he had many years where the rivals were not the kind who pushed him to the maximum. His early 2000s rivals were Kenny Roberts Jr. (who beat him his first 500 cc year) Biaggi, Capirossi, Barros, Gibernau, Ukawa, etc... I mean this were all good riders but certainly none of them was remotely an Alien, and none of them pushed Valentino to his limits. Then Nicky snatched the 2006 title with less wins and came the 800 cc era. It's a touchy subject in this forums and for sure it was not a bad time for Valentino, but during this era that just ended, Valentino was not the most successful, that title goes to Stoner. But most important, this era saw the arising of riders that did push Valentino to his limits, specially Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo.

I'm not sure how far is Rossi from his prime in terms of riding and skills, but I suspect not much. Last year has been his only season without a win and that must have a toll on his motivation and psyque. But I'm also confident he has a huge mental strength and he is still an alien rider. He must not allow his frustration to last too much, otherwise this could become the very reason for his failure.

You voted 2. Total votes: 66

Gibernau pushed Rossi to the limit in 2004, and he (Gib) was an alien at the time ... destroyed by psychological pression from the beast Vale was at this time


I've never seen Pedrosa push Rossi to the limit ... he finished twice in front of him in the championship but he has always been beaten in the field.

And you can see today that Pedrosa is still as fast as he used to be ...

Rossi's talent is not gone, his riding style is just not adapted to a very difficult and less performant Ducati ... just as Gibernau, Capirex (destroyed by Stoner in 2007), Melandri and even Hayden

I really hope he will find another bike until the end of his carreer, a satellite M1 would be great, not to be champion again of course, but just to fight for podium, just to see again his ability to fight and brake harder.

Anyway, we at least have the hope to see a great fight between the 3 this year, it would be great for the sport to have new heroes who FIGHT on the track, not only boring processions of incredible fast lap riders


You voted 3. Total votes: 60

Gibernau in 2004 was the biggest challenge for Valentino not because Gib was an alien, but because the Honda was the best bike at that moment, and Vale wanted to prove his worth as the best rider winning with Yamaha. it was a good challenge, but wouldn't say he pushed Vale to his limits, c'mon he was toying with him, he was under control. Perhaps not as easy as it looked, but my point is that he has never faced adversity in the way he is doing it at the moment. I see your point about Pedrosa, perhaps not in the same way as Lorenzo or Stoner, but definitely an alien. Cheers.

Total votes: 53

Rossi back on Suzuki, the only factory option left and a factory without a sponsor. Paul Denning sorting it now? the engine might not be great, but it was getting there, Suzuki has a great front end that will match the Yams and give him the feel he needs, the engine well, it was getting there last year (if they can keeps the valves in the guides and not in the top of the pistons). Nobu will be riding the wheels off the new bike every day. John is not the answer for Suzuki and if they think about it a big sponsor will get them back in the sport and Vale can leave a legacy for a youger rider. If there is a big sponsor behind Vale it COULD happen. The grid needs Suzuki back , not in its last iteration, it needs to wind it back to the Schwantz era and have a racer like Itoh-san in charge . He understood the riders, after him they didn't.

Total votes: 64

Will never happen. I can't imagine he is in for another risky adventure. This one has drained him enough already.

You voted 5. Total votes: 57

As ever David, a brilliant write up.

Marquez was out of order, he's already caused a serious crash at PI last year, and this was nearly another one. Before anyone says it, yes, I know it's motorcycle racing, not flower arranging, but he needs to watch himself. Luthi shouldn't have lashed out, but I understand his reasons.

The whole Rossi / Ducati fiasco is just that, a fiasco. They clearly are NOT listening to what VR wants. Or they cannot deliver it, one or the other. Either way, it's going to only last another year. And I for one am very VERY sad to see Valentino so utterly dejected.

Things HAVE to change, and VERY VERY FAST.

Total votes: 59

is that Rossi on the Ducati is slow. What the cause is exactly, we will probably never know, but my guess is that none of the parties involved is functioning at its best.

Total votes: 53

>They clearly are NOT listening to what VR wants.

Because if they did, clearly, CLEARLY, Rossi would be up there at the front.

Maybe they should just buy a Yamaha and paint it red.

You voted 1. Total votes: 44

...that Audi is about to buy Ducati!
I´m wondering how that will influence the Ducati MotoGP effort...
As a German and an engineer myself, I would be hoping that some good ol` german engineering would find its way into Vale´s bike and make them competitive again....

You voted 3. Total votes: 50

@ eah. Not to throw gas on the Stoner VS Rossi debate... How different may things be now for Vale if Ducati made the changes Stoner suggested starting in 2008? Their engineers (and management teams) didn't want to change from tradition for their riders to be more competitive with the other Factories. Stoner's raw talent and riding style got Ducati those wins, podiums, and the Championship. Vale is not capable of changing his style after all these years to ride the Ducati on the edge like Stoner or Checa in WSB. Look at Lorenzo? Jorge brags about his 2 riding styles a lot but he can back them up obviously even on the 1000cc M1 now. Hayden is able to do what he does because he's able to get the rear tire's help in making the front-end turn. Rossi must feel like crap when Hayden is leaving him in the dust! But Barbera too? That's just sad for a 9-Time World Champion...

Total votes: 48


Have a good look at Rossi on the first pic. It looks like a fake, as if it was Stoner with Rossi's helmet.

He's definitely trying everything to make it work. But... :

"At turn-entry, because of something we don't know, the front doesn't allow you to tighten the turn. This understeering is the biggest problem.

"The incredible thing is that this characteristic is similar to all the Ducatis I've ridden since 2010: whether it's the version with no chassis, or the one with the carbon-fibre front, of the one with the aluminium front, or the one with the full chassis... it doesn't ever change, that's incredible."


You voted 4. Total votes: 55

Don't laugh!
I think the problem could be mental and the task of performing when it actually matters, is really doing this bloke in. He's possibly realised he's had a very 'soft' career with the best of the best and unfortunately for him, the realisation has come nearly 2 years too late. He's far from too old, but admittedly, he has a lot of years of 'habits' under his belt, especially now with the undeniable talent of a certain few he and the rest of 'em have to deal with.
I've come to this conclusion after reading over the last 18 months, so many positive comments after each and every test (including releases from Ducati themselves!), only to see his race weekend performance falter. I can't believe they would intentionally set themselves up to fall foul of the viewing public or sponsors by 'faking' testing results, so at this moment, it's all I've got.
Almost a victim of DORNA's evil plan? Well not really, it was extremely fruitful for both parties while it lasted and for that, it's hard to knock the bloke!
Now, back at the pointy end...

You voted 3. Total votes: 54

I have never ridden a 90 degree V4. However, I have ridden and raced 90 degree twins. You cannot ride them like an inline 4. The engine has perfect balance and keeps pushing forward when you are off the throttle, which results in understeer. I used to get off the gas and on the throttle as quickly as possible and let the rear wheel slide. I could never ride deep into the corner like Rossi does, even if I were capable, because the ducati will just push you wide. Inline 4s feel neutral to me when you are off the throttle. This characteristic of the engine has led to the view that only certain riders can ride a ducati successfully. Does this characteristic apply to the Ducati GP bike? Looks like it to me and the problem is exacerbated by the 'Big Bang' firing order. I cannot see Rossi ever having any success on the Ducati while he keeps riding the same way. Nothing they do to the chassis will stop the engine from pushing the bike forward as hard as it does.
Just my take.

You voted 3. Total votes: 42

Painless >> "The engine has perfect balance and keeps pushing forward when you are off the throttle."

Is anybody able to explain that more fully - what is it about a perfectly balanced engine that pushes the machine forward/wide?

You voted 1. Total votes: 51

The Trouble With the Ducati Desmosedici: An Exhaustive Analysis


"The Bike





Total votes: 43

Hey Dave, there are a lot of saying goes for Rossi and co. nowadays. I would have loved to read your thoughts in separate dedicated analysis and discuss further on the light of it.

Interesting comments are coming from the inside as well..

Mr. Burgess says; "Rossi Not at Stoner's Level."

Mr. Rossi says; "By racing this way, you lose the joy of riding"

I'm dying to see how everything comes to the point...

Total votes: 41

Preziosi has discounted this and has remarked that they have not moved the engine forward to its maximum position. He might be wrong but I would take his word for it.

My point about the 90 degree V engine is basically conjecture based on my own experience. As I said I have not ridden a V4. It would be interesting to hear what those who have ridden an RC30, which is a 90 degree V4, have to say. That would kill off my argument pretty quickly :)
A perfectly balanced engine will continue to spin where an unbalanced one will lose energy a lot quicker.

You voted 4. Total votes: 45

I was unable to find any responses to my comment, then I'd realised, my comment was no longer here? My point is valid and deserves some investigation and I will try to ask it as straight forward as I can possibly manage. Some observations first.
Post practice reports from Rossi and Ducati are RARELY (in fact, I don't remember any, but I could be mistaken!) anything but full of praise and declarations that major issues with the bike are solved or at least dramatically improved.
Come race weekend, a completely different picture is painted.
This has been going on for 18months and the question needs to be asked...
Is it performance anxiety, or is it something that sponsors should be very very concerned about? Because, I believe it would be a very unprofessional move for future prospects of both the rider AND the factory, if the team is misrepresenting themselves by falsifying their much anticipated elevation to 'competitive' status with such claims!
If this turns out to be the case, then the trouble for the team has barely started.

You voted 1. Total votes: 56

Your comment is still there, six posts above this one.

Total votes: 48

I don't even understand why you bother to ask those questions... there's nothing "hard" about them. Do you really expect Ducati's press releases after tests & practice to say, "Oh no, we still suck!" Everything anyone needs to know is answered after each race on the results sheet.

Performance anxiety from a 9 time champion? I know one's not supposed to answer a question with a question, but, are you for real?

Are Ducati making progress? Not nearly enough.

Are Ducati/VR happy? I hope not.

Will they win a dry race? I bet no a while back.

Is VR poisoning the well with his comments to the Italian press, or is he just trying to apply pressure to get the changes he wants quicker? Both, double edged swords work that way.

Will VR be there next year? I shook my Magic 8 Ball and it said, STFU and enjoy this year.

I mean I get it to a certain point, we're all enthusiasts here, we readily gobble up any information/intrigue we can, hence the reason this site and others exist. But get over it. I read some of these comments (not just you) and I'm like, really? I mean, REALLY?! This is a point of debate?

You wanna get all up-in-arms about something, worry about the future rule book. Or if someone should be penalized for a hard pass or other on track incidents? THAT stuff matters and is worth debating. This, not so much.

You voted 5. Total votes: 49

It has been said before by others and myself but Hayden deserves more credit for his years in MotoGP with Honda and now Ducati. Ducati needs to ask Hayden more about the development of the GP12 than Rossi if they want to save face this season for ALL they have done especially since signing Rossi. Hayden has his Honda (inline-4, V4) experience too and he's been on more variations of the Ducati GP bikes than Rossi. Hayden already said that it's the best (ducati) bike he's ridden so far. For Rossi to downgrade Hayden the way he did only shows that he's ready to leave Ducati. Hayden is the hardest working rider in MotoGP!

Total votes: 47

Maybe Ducati just need to put their resources in recruting the very best Aussie & American talent out there, and keep/make their bike a very specific dirttrack heroes bike.

Total votes: 49

One thought has occurred to me, if the purcahse of Ducati by Audi completes, then Ducati will have access to the VR engine technology of VW. This would allow them to make an engine which is more compact than either Honda or Yamaha. A more compact engine would allow them to get the mass closer to the front tire. A VR4 engine with desmodromic valve control would be an interesting engineering project.

You voted 1. Total votes: 53

The effective exchange of engine tech between cars and bikes is few and far in between. Especially in packaging issues. Completely different worlds. A narrow V engine needs counterbalancers that take up space and Hp. The narrow V angle helps in a transverse front engine car package as you have adequate room for a driver's legs, something not too important in motorcycles. It would also make an extremely restrictive intake manifold package or a very tall engine. Suzuki couldn't get enough power with 60 and went to 65, then 72 I think.

The other thing is that this (and nearly any other) engine tech is easily understandable by nearly any engine designer. There's nothing special about it. If Ducati wanted to make a narrow engine angle they would not want or need to talk to Audi or VW. Also, desmo throws a wrench into adapting car tech as an inherently unbalanced engine may make it more difficult to have a camdrive system with no shock absorbing members, as Ducati's desmo geartrain is reputed to be.


Total votes: 45