[FR]

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher has told the French newspaper L'Equipe that MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi can make the jump to Formula One.

"Absolutely, it's completely possible for him," the seven-time World Champion told the paper yesterday.

"He has enough talent to get there. I would even say that it is easier to go from bikes to cars than the other way round," added the German, who tested a Ducati MotoGP bike last year after Rossi had driven his Ferrari. "And when, like him, you have this special feeling on two wheels, you can use it perfectly on four wheels." Rossi completed his third and final day in the multi-team Formula One test at Valencia in Spain yesterday, ending up 11th fastest. Rossi was a little over a second slower than Schumacher, but was the talk of the test.

"Rossi astonishes," declared Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport in a front page headline, with drivers applauding the Italian.

"It's nice that he's driving with us," said BMW's Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 champion. "Looking at how he's going, however, he should give up motorbikes and join us. Maybe I should move to bikes. I think it's perfectly normal that he should be driving well, even if the last few tenths are always the hardest to gain."

Schumacher enjoyed having Rossi at the test because the focus shifted elsewhere, he said.

"It's better, because it's easier for me to work."


FR

 

[paced_haste]

The man's got it.

Z

 

[texmawby]

i want any of those dudes to get on a motogp bike and be 11th fastest!

rossi rules (everything)!

tex

 

[jbranson]

It would get me watching F1 again.

Only thing that sucks is that for the next five years everyone that wins MotoGP will only have won "because Rossi isn't there anymore"...at least that's what the press will say.
JohnnyB

 

[texmawby]

i'll say it too.

tex

 

[jbranson]

Ain't fair though. If your aren't there you aren't there. One could as easily say Rossi only wins cause Agostini is too old. Or any number of excuses. So when some new hotshoe starts winning, we will actually never know who would win, but people will unfairly say that Rossi would have won.

It will be awesome to watch him in F1 though. Doesn't matter if he becomes a winner or a loser...it will still be entertaining because of the coverage he'll get.
But if history is any judge, he won't make a huge impact on the sport from a success stand point. Even Mike the bike tried it...he didn't flop terribly but was also never a threat to anyone.
He's got size on his side. His light weight is bound to help.
JohnnyB

 

[paced_haste]

He's pretty tall, Rossi. Skinny as all heck, but pretty tall.
Mike the Bike transferred at an easier time too, seems to me. Closer to the time of Surtees' two and four wheeled championships. It was Surtees right?

Z

 

[jbranson]

Yep I think it was Surtee's.
And if by "easier" time you mean a time when there was no dominant drivers...I agree. And by easier I'd say the technology was easier to learn back then, and the envelope of driver performance that would get you to the front was larger.
Just like lap times on a bike, I think lap times in a car prove you can operate the car...not necessarily win a race. I heard he spun quite a few times in testing...all it takes is once in a race and you are done.
But...Rossi has some amazing skills. It will be fun. I'd love to see him win the championship....it would show that a bike guy can do a car guys job....but the reverse is almost never done.
JohnnyB

 

[bfd]

Now that F1 and MotoGP are owned by the same company I wonder if any $ was layed out to stay in the "family". When was the last time a new driver entered F1 with such a huge fan club already in place. F1 would be stupid not to pull out all the stops to put him in a car.
bfd

 

[magnetoczar]

I find most car racing kind of boring, even F1. It too often turns into a follow the leader type of racing. I think that MotoGP and good old American dirt track are the most entertaining currently, but what made the MotoGP fun was Rossi switching away from Honda to Yamaha. When he was riding the Honda the race was sometimes boring.

Dirt track is usually always good to watch as the bikes and their riders are so evenly matched. There's always passing happening at the end of a straight due to the drafting, and you can see the whole race from the grandstand. I'm definitely going to Syracuse this June and catch the mile up there. I'll get a room, as the race will be at night (Sat night) and it's way too far to drive home from at 1:00 in the AM. If anyone else is coming, bring a sleeping bag and you can crash with us.

Dgy

 

[FR]

Dude, Syracuse is one of the coolest races on the planet. Turn three is just nuts. We walked the track after the race, couldn't believe the surface they were racing on. Coming off the back straight into three you have about enough room for one bike on the groove, and if you don't hit your mark, you're either gonna be in the wall, or so scared you'll soil yourself.
I haven't decided whether I'm going back to Syracuse or catching Peoria this year. Leaning towards Peoria. Never been there, but it looks really cool too, and they've been racing there since forever.

FR

 

[magnetoczar]

Peoria is the TT, correct? I like the miles, I went to Vernon Downs a couple of years ago; well actually back when the Hayden brothers were running there. Roger is all of 3 feet tall and 2 feet of it is his balls, man do they haul ass. Amazing to watch them scream down the straight at 130 and then they just roll off for a second and right back on the gas as they power through at around 90. I met Gary Nixon there, my hero when I was a kid and I told him so, so he signed my sweatshirt all of his own accord. I got Knievels autograph on that sweatshirt, also. It's a Triumph sweatshirt with a 650 TT Special on the front of it, kind of cool as Nixon raced Triumphs and Knievel wadded up a TT Special jumping the fountains at Caesars. He wrote "Happy Landings" under his signature. I'm not an autograph hound and I tend to use my signed stuff as regular wear, but it's fun. I got Dick Mann's autograph when I did the reunion ISDT in the Berkshires a couple of years ago.

Dgy

 

[FR]

Cool. Yeah, Peoria is THE tt race, there's a tt at Springfield the night before the Mile, but Peoria is hallowed ground.
Can't deny the mile race. It's so compelling to watch these guys. And it's a fucking crime that HD has a stranglehold on the series. The miles are so technical. If the engineers from the factories could see what goes on, I'd bet they'd love to try to build a bike to do that.
As it is now, you can't even buy a competitive bike from a factory. You have to buy the parts and build one. And still HD controls the series. It's a travesty.

FR

 

[parks61]

until someone comes into motogp with the 125-250-500-motogp record tino had, there won't be any one as good...cause it will never happen again. nobody has ever had the comfort level at the limit (and beyond) that he has shown over the years on all the bike sizes. in addition to the complete masterery of the bike stuff both on and off the track (set up etc.), he cuts the hot deals and plays the media to his best advantage. he even has intelectual intercourse component above the rest of the field. poor max was fucked up enough before they met on the track and now ...well you do the math. Best of all, he gets the chicks. it won't matter if he spins out of every f1 race a year from now. i'll always say that anyone else who comes along won't even come close to valentino. sorry johnny b... not even you.

 

[jbranson]

Well I've seen Rossi to amazing things and I've seen him crack under pressure too. He's the best since I've been a fan of GP. But...has he beat Ago's record for wins yet? (maybe, I know he's was close) And it was Freddie Spencer that won TWO GP titles in the same year...never done before or since.
So I think saying he's the best that ever will be is more a ****-erotic wish than an actual fact.
Not that there's any thing wrong with that.
JohnnyB

 

[ghetto_racer]

I'll be interested to see how the 90% rider 10% bike vs the 90% car and 10% driver math works out for him. He is the Tiger Woods of GP but like you have pointed out there was Palmer and the likes before Tiger when the world was a bit bigger and less press and cameras were around to idolize the phenoms. I'd rather see him racing one of those WRX sick fsck cars... falling off the side of the K1 seems more sketchy than an F1.
Good luck to him either way...it makes for good speedvision.


J "not that" D

 

[parks61]

All the best (who are still around) say he's the best ever,even the twice-in-a-year-formerly-fast-freddy-spencer. that thing about his crack...i dunno...sounds a bit **** erotic to me. maybe you should lay off re-playing those seat-cam sequences.

 

[jbranson]

Well that's true...most of them do say that. But maybe they are just being humble...or maybe they think he's the cutest little monkey boy that's ever thrown a slender boyish leg over a race bike....like I do.

Next year Speed is going to have "PANTS CAM" !! I can't wait!

JohnnyB

 

[jbranson]

PS. Parker....I know it's you...I'd recognize that sense of humor anywhere

 

[paced_haste]

I've been saying for a while that I think Vale should try to do the 250/MotoGP double championship. It would be fun to watch anyway.

Z