Press reports indicate that Valentino Rossi intends to take is longtime crew chief, Jerry Burgess, with him to Ducati next year. Burgess has apparently confirmed this, although it appears he and Ducati are still working out the details. Burgess is the most respected crew chief in the MotoGP paddock, having worked with Mick Doohan and other champions before teaming up with Rossi at Honda several years, and championships, ago. There was speculation Honda was trying to hire Burgess to act as crew chief for Casey Stoner next year.
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Patrick while no one denies Vales ability and he has been my favorite for years interpreting what a rider wants to what he needs and what gamble to take on the day with changing wheather takes a lot of experience and knowledge that we plain blokes just dont get .JB is invaluable to any team on the planet so where you get your dont pay much is comical.You are totally out of your depth,he single handedly told Yamaha long ago stop compilcating things keep them single.They even tried a twin chassis of sorts .Wake up
jim
Brian .. sorry to say but the electronics are ruling the sport. If anyone can find the Kurtis Roberts interview from years back .. it’s humbling reality. Neil, you’re right, it is almost like a rolling video game. I remember parts of the Roberts interview .. he was discussing cornering .. the bike being at a full lean angle and him describing opening the throttle FULL as he passes the apex ..stuff that is physically impossible. The only reason the bike stays upright .. is because of the electronics. I have to agree will Neil.. ban the electronics and let the best riders ride. The guys that “have it” will always come to the front of the field.
If Burgess goes to Ducati, they’ll probably be unstoppable over the next few seasons.
The current Duc Desmosedici is nowhere near as bad as the Yamaha M1 was when Rossi and Burgess first joined them, and they still managed to make the M1 win on Rossi’s first race on it. The Desmo16 has already won races this season (some of em by a HUGE margin, I might add), so only a fool would bet against Vale.
As for the new rules in 2012, well, we all know how good Rossi is at developing a bike from the ground up.
I’ve always been a Yamaha fan, and was sad to hear that Rossi would be leaving. I hope Lorenzo and Spies (whom I’m a huge fan of) up their game. 2011 might be okay for Yamaha (I’m sure they’ll win races), but I fear for them in 2012, with both factory riders still unproven on the development front.
They have to get rid of some of the electronics. Let them ride the bike. Spies and Rossi said the same. Let’s see what the bikes do as motor, tires and suspension connected to the rider’s hand. Then the JB move would be even more interesting as would the racing. Right now they are riding a rolling video game.
Sorry Neil
If you have over 200 HP between your legs, and two wheels on the ground, then its definitely not a rolling video game.
Yes, the electronics have improved safety, and made it a tad less exciting, but that Pandora’s box is opened and its not going away. There are alot of ways to use electronics to control a motorcycle, and the manufacturers are going to use any and all they can to get a competitive edge.
I do miss the power slides though.
The Vale/JB team is a package that Ducati can not afford to be without. This is a TEAM sport and anyone who thinks that team work or “buy-in” is not needed by ALL parties is fooling themselves. Stoner has demonstrated this year that the bike is capable of winning. If Ducati pairs Vale with a new team manager, then you introduce a new variable and the associated learning curve. Why waste the opportunity that stands before you to win a MotoGP World Championship?
Given the performance level of the Ducati, do they need JB? The Ducati team are almost entirely Italian, a trait that they take great pride in. One would also imagine that a clear line of (Italian) communication would only help the team aswell. I’m not sure that Ducati should pay alot for JB, and Rossi might also believe that he doesn’t need anyone or any factory (Honda, Yamaha) to win him a World Championship. There is still a belief that alot of his success is atributable to ‘inheriting’ Doohan’s crew cheif and that’s not the sort of thing that sits well with Rossi, as we all know.
Rossi better hope Burgess get’s in and Ducati would be stupid and arrogant not to fork over the $$$.
Anyone not rooting for Valentino on a Ducati should…change their mind!
From all of the other things that i have read on this…Burgess sounds like he is planning on retiring once Rossi hangs it up after 2 or 4 years at Ducati. they could end up being the greatest racing combo in the history of the sport.
Next season is looking like one of the more exciting in a long time.