Sportmediaset, during one of their daily TV sports updates has announced that Valentino Rossihas signed a two-year deal with Yamaha and that it will be officially announced on Wednesday morning August 15th (which is also a national holiday in Italy).
After several months of hot rumors, speculation, a softening stance taken by Yamaha’s Lin Jarvis, reported assurances by Dorna’s CEO that Rossi would have a competitive machine in 2013 and Jorge Lorenzo rolling out the welcome mat more than once, ‘The Doctor’ will be returning to the Iwata manufacturer with his reputation completely in tatters, a big pay cut and will have to play second fiddle to a much younger, superb and consistent rider as Lorenzo all in order to try to end his career in a dignified manner.
Yamaha doesn’t really need Rossi as a rider, Lorenzo more than fulfills his alien status, but they do need a sponsor magnet and the former World Champion in this role is unbeatable.
This leaves Ducati with their reputation of a career killer still intact and Filippo Preziosi even humbled himself and contacted Masao Furusawa for help, with Ducati offering the retired Japanese manager a consulting job, which Furusawa refused.
And it also leaves the Italian manufacturer two options for their second factory rider, and hope they luck into another Casey Stoner, in either Cal Crutchlow or Andrea Dovizioso who suddenly has become one of the future candidates.
It will also be interesting to see if Dovizioso will accept a Ducati offer, as several months ago he said “if you want to win you can’t ride a Ducati” and he has been linked to a ride in World Superbikes with Honda.