Rossi, Ducati, Sepang… Shame, it wouldn’t be possible! It won’t happen, but it could have. A promise of the car, that is, a race car, removed Valentino Rossi from the list of drivers in replace Di Giannantonio in the last two GGPP of the year. The VR46 driver announced yesterday that he will undergo shoulder surgery after next weekend’s Thai GP, so the team managed by Pablo Nieto will have to find a replacement in the races in Malaysia and Valencia.
A list was immediately created with possible candidates to get into Desmosedici 2023 by Team VR46. First on that list, not in order but by ‘logic’, is Michelle Pirro, Ducati test rider, who has acted as a substitute rider for regular Ducati riders on many occasions. The other names come from the World Superbike Championship, which runs its final race this weekend in Jerez de la Frontera. Yesterday I was there, and there was already a buzz about which of the Ducati riders could take part in the free MotoGP. The list is interesting, there are drivers whose presence in the last two GGPPs will certainly attract attention.
The two most ‘logical’ candidates are Niccolo Bulega and Álvaro Baustista, the first pilot of AcademyVR46, but has never ridden a MotoGP. Putting him in the Desmosedici would probably do more harm than good. In Bautista’s case, no introduction is needed. The other two options are Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone. The media impact of the two will be guaranteed, especially in the case of Iannone, who will ride again in a MotoGP after having his driver’s license revoked for four years due to a doping episode. To see him return, even incidentally, to a championship where he was an important star, would be a media bombshell.
But from Australia this morning they informed us that the option with big letters could be Valentino Rossi. And despite retiring from 2021, the Italian super champion has not stopped riding a motorcycle – he continues to train with his riders at the Academy – and he will certainly not be broken in a circuit like Sepang, which is known as his house. However, the chance of dates in a car race, to which he is engaged at the moment, removed any option.
More than one thinks it’s almost better this way, but… it would be a real bomb to see Valentino Rossi again on a Ducati MotoGP!
Team VR46 takes the daisy to Australia. The decision will be made this weekend by consensus at Ducati. Who is chosen depends on Borgo Panigale’s approval and what goal the team is looking for. If these are results, I venture to expect that none of those suggested will attract attention; If that’s what attracts attention, the name should be Iannone.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
