During today’s pre-event press conference at Assen, Valentino Rossi responded to Carmelo Ezpeleta’s startling statement to Omnicorse.
it that “Valentino next year will be on competitive bike, but I can’t tell you which.
It’s too early to talk about it, but in 2013 we’ll see Rossi fighting again for wins … “Rossi repeated again (he more or less said the same thing during this weekend’s World Ducati Week) that his first choice is to stay with Ducati “I hope I can race next year with a competitive bike.
The first choice is to stay and be competitive with Ducati, and try to improve the bike and get some good results in the next years with Ducati.
” Asked about what Ezpeleta said, he responded with “that’s his idea or he knows more than I do.
I haven’t talked to Yamaha or Honda and I don’t know if they have a bike available for me.
”Silly season rumors have so far Rossi tied to a Repsol Honda dream team with Marc Marquez -with a pre-contract already signed by the Italian-, back with former team mate Jorge Lorenzo in Yamaha, his own private team with high profile sponsor or even in a satellite team with factory treatment, and Ducati is not making any overtures except towards Cal Crutchlow and Pol Espargaro and that’s not even clear if one of the two will replace Rossi or Nicky Hayden.