Time for Rossi to retire...

[Squashed_Fly]

When a nine times world champ, can't even out qualify his team mate on a lesser developed bike, it's carcrash to watch

8 places between Rossi & Hayden (Rossi was second to LAST!). Not good at all.......

[NoYou]

Dayum! Don't know what's goin on with him tbh he was fine last year from what I remember, until he destroyed his leg ofc... I wouldn't have thought 1 year would make that much difference

[Squashed_Fly]

Think he's lost the mental capacity to compete

It's like he's not hungry for it anymore. Being out qualified by Hector Barbara when you have Rossi's history, it's gotta make you think you just can't do this anymore. The young guys are sapping at the heels, and like it or not, he's not 20 years old anymore!

[NoYou]

True enough but I think I'm going to wait until the 2012 season before I write him off as an old fart!

[crewy]

I have to say i'm not rossi's biggest fan in the world but what a stupid thing to say. You have hit the nail on the head by saying he is on a DEVELOPMENT bike, trial and error, some times things work and sometimes they dont. You say he has lost the mental capacity to compete , on what basis do you say that? Did he not finish 4th only 2 races ago? And i think that if you look, you will find Rossi has beat Hayden in all bar about 3GP's. Does that mean Hayden should retire as well???

Next season is what it is all about now, and i think that you will be made to look rather silly when he is back near the front!!! : :

[Squashed_Fly]

Time will tell eh...

[Scotty]

Dayum! Don't know what's goin on with him tbh he was fine last year from what I remember, until he destroyed his leg ofc... I wouldn't have thought 1 year would make that much difference

Get the facts right... This race last year was Rossi's return from his broken leg, in which he was narrowly beaten to a podium finish by Stoner at the final corner. Today his qualifying time was a whole second slower than he managed last year on his return when he couldn't walk without crutches. The leg injury didn't trouble him unduly, it was the shoulder ligaments that he damaged by falling off an MX bike that wrecked his season.

Who knows what is happening in that Ducati pit garage, how much the absence of Jerry Burgess is hampering VR is open to conjecture, but if the GOAT is qualifying last but one, it throws into perspective just how well Stoner could ride the thing in the last four seasons... :-?

[Squashed_Fly]

My thoughts exactly Scotty. It really does show that Stoner is worth more than a lot of us thought.

I, like lots of others after seeing his early seasons, thought Ducati did well picking the guy who rides well above his limits, but develop the electronics to keep him on. But he's proven he's a lot better rider than that. Either that or he is maturing - lorenzo struggled to stay upright in the early days.

Whatever Vale does or doesn't do next year, he's getting old now for a competitive rider, and he doesn't have anything left to prove.

[Dabz]

It's my first season watching the motogp and I haven't seen any talent in rossi's riding that suggests he's a riding god on a development bike. Stoner has impressed me but then he's on a strong bike and on top form.

However being a motogp novice I'm waiting until next season to see if ducati bite back. In F1 ferarri have an off year or 2 and then a great year usually

[redken1]

I think it’s a bit premature for Moto GP fans to call on Rossi to quit the sport. The racing legend is only 32 and it’s his first year with Ducati, which unlike the Japanese machines appears to have a mind of its own. Perhaps too many of us underestimated Stoner’s ability in taming the Italian beast - I agree with Scotty on that score.

I would never count Rossi out and I’m sure he will know in his own mind when retirement beckons. In the football world, every time Man United has a dip in form the pundits call on Sir Alex Ferguson to retire, but the canny Scot always bounces back. I always say count him out at your peril. I for one really hope that Rossi perseveres because I think he has plenty left in the tank before he receives his free bus-pass.