MDP Live - Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali, believes that Valentino Rossi can look solid and even compete for the championship title if he uses the current Desmosedici motorbike.
Valentino Rossi is known to have tried his luck to become a MotoGP champion with Ducati in the 2011 season. Unfortunately, the Italian rider was unable to do much when he joined them.
After repeatedly trying to adapt to the Desmosedici bike, Rossi finally gave up and left Ducati at the end of the 2012 season and decided to return to strengthen Yamaha. In total, he could only reach three podiums without ever winning a win with the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale.
But the CEO of Ducati, Claudio Domenicali, believes that would not happen if Valentino Rossi joined his team in the current era. Especially now, the Desmosedici motorbike has proven its quality and can perform fast in the hands of several riders.
“Ducati era today is very different. I think he will be strong with our bike. However, we have no regrets. At that time, we were meant for each other," said Domenicali, quoted by MotoSan.
He then assessed the difficulties that Rossi faced at that time could not be separated from the role of Casey Stoner. The reason is that the arrival of the seven-time MotoGP world champion coincided with the departure of Stoner, who chose to move to Repsol Honda.
As a result, he had difficulty adjusting to the motor. In fact, the Ducati Desmosedici GP11 at that time was developed in accordance with the input given by Stoner.
“At that time, the bike was made according to Stoner's wishes. It is difficult to interpret the wishes of a rider who is used to a more balanced bike," he said.
