Bookies Rossi as favourite for this year's MOTO GP crown!

Ok, here's a link to an interesting story....predictable, but interesting nonetheless....Rossi is odds on to take the title, Stoney sits at 3/1...a goiod bet i reckon, then Pedrosa at 8/1, as third favourite....

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2009/Bookmakers+see+Rossi+as+strong+title+favourite+in+2009

Looks like the bookies think it's a 2 horse race! Anyone care to differ?

:Sport:

Did you hear that Rossi was asked to try F1 racing?

Actually, he's going to spend this racing session on thinking about it.

The boss at Yamaha doesn't think it's as predictable... This from an email I received...

Yamaha’s MotoGP boss Masao Furusawa has admitted he is ‘scared’ by the threat Aussie Casey Stoner poses to Valentino Rossi’s hopes of winning a seventh premier class title in 2009.

Despite a slow and painful recovery from a pre-Christmas left wrist operation, Stoner has been in startling form during ’09 pre-season testing.

He defeated Rossi in the first test in Sepang in early February and he was rampant using Ducati’s new carbon fibre swingarm for the first time in Qatar earlier this month, finishing nearly a second ahead of his closest rival.

And it is that breathtaking form that has captured Furusawa’s attention, with the Japanese boss hoping to help Rossi add to the nine wins he claimed last season to dominate Stoner.

Furusawa said: “Honda is competitive and Ducati is competitive but only with Casey.
I think Casey will be a bigger rival than Dani (Pedrosa). I’m a little bit scared about Casey’s performance with the Ducati. I don’t know the reasons why that combination is so strong, but it is very strong. I would like to move Casey to Honda.”

Had Furusawa considered launching a future raid for Stoner, who has won 16 of his 36 races for Ducati since the start of 2007?

“If I had Valentino, Casey, and Jorge (Lorenzo), it is too much. We would be pretty happy but I think it would be pretty boring for the fans if they were all together, “he joked.

stumbles06 said:

The boss at Yamaha doesn't think it's as predictable... This from an email I received...

Yamaha’s MotoGP boss Masao Furusawa has admitted he is ‘scared’ by the threat Aussie Casey Stoner poses to Valentino Rossi’s hopes of winning a seventh premier class title in 2009.

Despite a slow and painful recovery from a pre-Christmas left wrist operation, Stoner has been in startling form during ’09 pre-season testing.

He defeated Rossi in the first test in Sepang in early February and he was rampant using Ducati’s new carbon fibre swingarm for the first time in Qatar earlier this month, finishing nearly a second ahead of his closest rival.

And it is that breathtaking form that has captured Furusawa’s attention, with the Japanese boss hoping to help Rossi add to the nine wins he claimed last season to dominate Stoner.

Furusawa said: “Honda is competitive and Ducati is competitive but only with Casey.
I think Casey will be a bigger rival than Dani (Pedrosa). I’m a little bit scared about Casey’s performance with the Ducati. I don’t know the reasons why that combination is so strong, but it is very strong. I would like to move Casey to Honda.”

Had Furusawa considered launching a future raid for Stoner, who has won 16 of his 36 races for Ducati since the start of 2007?

“If I had Valentino, Casey, and Jorge (Lorenzo), it is too much. We would be pretty happy but I think it would be pretty boring for the fans if they were all together, “he joked.

Click to expand...

I reckon now that Casey's wrist is stronger, he will be more consistent this season, and, dont forget, he had lots of issues with front grip in the first half of last season...on a better bike this year, with a fit body...Yamaha have every right to be worried...he has the runs on the board.

But Rossi does tend to "fox" a bit in pre-season testing, then comes out at the firsat race and goes hard!

will be interesting to see where it's all at after about 3 races....cant wait!

Both stoner and rossi are incredibly racers, if stoner hadn't gone down at laguna seca last year he could've won. But I do like Rossi's bike better

Raid The Revenge said:

Did you hear that Rossi was asked to try F1 racing?

Actually, he's going to spend this racing session on thinking about it.

Click to expand...

these rossi is going to race f1, WRC, etc, rumours surface nearly every year...they started about 5 years ago...and they seem to surface just before the start of each season...

I guess the media loves a story, and people love reading about rossi! I think if any of it has any basis...he would of gone by now...am sure, on bankability alone, he would be able to get paid as much as he does to ride in Moto GP.