Max Temporali is a journalist/test rider who does the technical comment for MotoGP on Mediaset’s Premium digital channel, and reporting from Phillip Island, has added more fuel on the reasons why Daniele Romagnoli has decided to leave his position as a team manager.
According to Temporali, the situation in Jorge Lorenzo’s side of the garage has become explosive over the last couple of races with clashes between crew chief Ramon Forcada and his team against Romagnoli’s method of running the garage.
The situation had become so severe that two mechanics and one technician have decided to quit the team and will be switching to Honda HRC, who jumped at the change of having winning Yamaha personnel and has offered them two year contracts, when pit personnel contracts are renewed yearly.
Many are now saying that Romagnoli will not be leaving of his own accord, but was axed due to this situation.
More on the Rossi/Ducati story.
Both Filippo Preziosi and Vitto Guareschi have denied that Rossi and his entourage were at Ducati sounding out a place for the Italian rider in the Bologna based team.
Ducati may have denied the contact, but according to the same Max Temporali, Ducati’s main sponsor Marlboro is now actively pursuing the Yamaha rider and would like have him in Ducati in 2010, despite Rossi being under contract with Yamaha next year.
The amount that is being bandied around to buy out his contract and penalities is between 27-30 million euros.