The traditional week long Vrooom event at Madonna di Campiglio organized by Ferrari and Ducati, that kicks off January 10th to present the teams to the international press will have everyone drooling.
Not only will we finally see livery that Ducati has thought up for the 2011 season, Valentino Rossi will finally be liberated from his Yamaha gag order, and will be able to talk freely during the Ducati press conference that will be held on Tuesday the 11th.
Friday will see the “Challenge Exhibition” where the Ducati riders and Ferrari drivers will face off during the organized ice races, usually on 4-wheels (last year on the 4×4 Panda’s was won by Felippe Massa and shifter go karts race by Nicky Hayden).
What will be interesting is that Rossi should be (depends on his shoulder) racing against Fernando Alonso.
The two champions, once upon time provoked each other, that resulted in ruffled feathers and testosterone levels sky rocketing, to the joy of sports journalists.
Back in 2006 Rossi tested the Ferrari with some pretty decent lap times and Alonso who was racing for Flavio Briatore’s Renault team at that time, was unimpressed, saying: “He can do well, because he will be driving a Ferrari, and can finish in the top five.
But, from that to winning a Championship or races you need more.
I could start riding a motorbike and, after three years training, be a second from them, but I don’t pretend that I could beat Dani (Pedrosa) or someone who has been in motorbikes since they were three years old.
”Rossi who never backs down, thought a showdown could be organized on a F1, MotoGP and WRC machine to find who was fastest, and unfortunately for us fans (it could have been great for charity) it never happened and neither did it take place in the 2008 “Friends of Iker vs.
Friends of Rafa” event as Rossi pulled out at the last moment.
Let’s see if Alonso, who received a Ducati Desmosedici RR this year, has been practicing and these two macho roosters can finally give us this long awaited showdown.