As expected, the arrival of the Rossi/Burgess team has meant wholesale changes to the GP11, despite Ducati’s “evolutionary rather than revolutionary” comments.
Basically, it seems to me, they have “dumbed the bike down”. Prteziosi even admits that only one rider could ever ride the bike properly and that was Stoner.
It also confirms what I flagged yesterday and that is that Rossi will be going into the testing season and, perhaps, even the season proper, not fully fit. Recovering, as I am, from a shoulder fracture, I can sympathise. It seems shoulders heal notoriously slowly.
In other news which looks backwards rather than forwards, Big Bad Dennis Neill, one of the toughest Aussie road racers to ever strap on a helmet, turns 60 this year. Neill, who dominated superbike racing back in the late 1970’s and who survived an horrendous crash at Bathurst in 1981, now lives in Queensland, enjoying the laid-back lifestyle and the admiration of all who knew him and who watched him race. His birthday bash should be a howler.
Jeffrey says
Den crashed in ’81.
Phil Hall says
Indeed he did, thanks for pointing that out, I will correct.