Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi enjoyed one of the best rivalries in MotoGP history with Casey Stoner in the late 2000s.
For 2011, both riders switched teams, with Stoner leaving Ducati for pastures new at Honda, who were just beginning to come into their own.
Rossi left Yamaha, where he had won all of his titles, to take Stoner’s spot at Ducati, and he would soon come to regret the decision.
The 2011 and 2012 seasons were two of the worst in the Italian legend’s career. He failed to secure a podium during his first campaign, and would only manage two in the following MotoGP season.
Rossi then opted to leave Ducati and rejoin Yamaha in 2013, returning to the top step of the podium at the Dutch TT. He would never win another title.
The most dangerous moment of Rossi’s career came in 2020 as Franco Morbidelli’s bike whizzed over his head. By then, he was well past his best and his Ducati days were a blur.
Valentino Rossi once congratulated Casey Stoner for his success on Ducati’s MotoGP bike
Stoner’s move would turn out to be far more successful, winning the championship on his first attempt with Honda in 2011.
By the end of 2012, he decided to retire, while Rossi finally came to his senses about the Italian motorcycle he had struggled with for two years.
“All the other guys that tried have destroyed, not his career but his mind… So, congratulations to Casey,” he said, according to MotoMatters.
“But two years ago, I still don’t understand why there is this difference between Stoner and the other Ducati riders, and after two years that I ride the Ducati I still don’t understand.”
It was a realisation that perhaps there was only one rider who could drag the Ducati to victory at the time, and it wasn’t the guy who most believed to be the best.
READ MORE: Davide Brivio reveals the one thing he ‘shouldn’t say’ about Valentino Rossi’s time at Yamaha
Why did Valentino Rossi leave Yamaha to join Ducati’s MotoGP team in 2011?
After sustaining a broken leg during the 2010 season at his home race in Mugello, he was forced to miss four races.
By the time he returned, it was effectively too late for him to compete for the title. Not long after, he decided that a new challenge was required.
After feeling that he had achieved all that he could with the Japanese manufacturer, Rossi left Yamaha in the dust to join their rivals.
Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had just wiped the floor against him and it was probably an appropriate time for a fresh start.
Looking back, choosing Ducati wasn’t the best move. Perhaps Honda was a better location for him, but it’ll never be known.
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