Rossi set to sign new Yamaha contract before home grand prix?
With two wins from the last two rounds, Valentino Rossi will head to his home Italian Grand Prix on June 1 holding the 2008 MotoGP World Championship lead - and perhaps a new Yamaha contract.
Although Rossi has always maintained a desire to remain with Yamaha beyond the end of his existing contract, title defeats for the past two seasons - largely attributed to problems with the seven time world champion's tyres and machinery - prompted the threat of a departure and made the Italian cautious about extending his M1 relationship, which began so spectacularly in 2004.
But Yamaha has responded to The Doctor's criticism by producing what Rossi believes is the best M1 ever for 2008, while the Italian's switch to Bridgestone tyres is now delivering the kind of consistent performance he was hoping for after Michelin's 2007 trauma.
As such, there now seems little reason to leave Yamaha - and few factors to pull him away.
The challenge of winning the world title for a third manufacturer remains a possibility, but the troubles of the past two seasons have perhaps taught Rossi that just winning the title again should be satisfaction enough.
The impact of a potential Italian dream team at Ducati has now been lost by Casey Stoner's title victory - becoming Ducati's second world champion doesn't have much of a ring to it - while it is difficult to see what underdogs Suzuki and Kawasaki could offer Rossi that Yamaha cannot. A Honda return is almost unimaginable.
Add to that the importance Rossi places on keeping his crew of trusted mechanics, the majority of whom left Honda with him in 2003, and the chances of tempting him to ride anything other than an M1 next year are extraordinarily slim.
"We're talking with Yamaha. I asked them to build a bike to win races and they made it, so there's no reason for me to change bikes," Rossi told Spanish television channel TVE. "We still have to find an agreement and settle a contract, but I think it's very likely that I'll continue for one or two years with Yamaha.
"The 2008 YZR-M1 is the best bike that Yamaha has produced over the past few years. The 2005 machine was very good but compared to it, the 2008 is even better - it's really the best Yamaha I have ever ridden. I'm very happy as they managed to take a big step in very little time.
"I'm still hungry for victory and I think I can still ride for a few years, as long as I want it and I can be on top."
Speculation is therefore turning to 'when' rather than 'if' Rossi will re-sign and, with the Italian Grand Prix Rossi's most intense of the season, it would be far from surprising if Valentino wanted to decide his future before the event.
Rossi's victory last Sunday at Le Mans was his 90th in grand prix racing, equalling '12+1' world champion Angel Nieto. Giacomo Agostini is the only rider to have won more races, with 122 victories in all classes, but Rossi is now just four behind his fellow Italian's all-time record of 68 500cc/MotoGP wins.
