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With WDW in full swing at Misano, the noise of the bikes as they arrive and move around the paddock, or take to the track, is incessant. But when that particular noise level drops, it gives way to the passionate voices of the many fans, with their desmodromic hearts, as they move from one stand to another. Many of the conversations, especially between those who follow the racing and the MotoGP, include mention of two names, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner.
The first represents the future, the man who will arrive in Borgo Panigale next season with the aim of winning immediately. The second represents the past, the present (as a tester) and perhaps the future too.
There are differences of opinion when it comes to the Majorcan's arrival. Charisma is not his greatest quality, but everyone agrees on two things. The first is his incredible, undeniable talent, and the second is that this might bring Ducati to achieve its ultimate goal the world title. “I prefer riders who a little more 'wild' – states Diego from Fano - but he's very talented, you can't deny that. I don't find him the nicest of riders, but you have to differentiate between being fast and being nice. If he was both it would be better of course, but the important thing is that he brings us back to glory”.
“The important thing is that he wins the title, nothing else matters” summise Emanuele and Andrea from Ancona. There is also room for patriotism among the fans; for Marco from Senigallia:"the Ducati riders should be Italian, so I'm not keen on the Lorenzo choice. If he wins though, I might be able to reconsider my view on him being a foreigner! (he laughs)”. There are many non-Italian fans at WDW, particularly from Germany and France.
For Markus from Munich “Lorenzo is an incredible rider, very fast, but I've always thought that his heart belonged to Yamaha and not Ducati, so I'll reserve judgement on his arrival", while for Laurent “His talent is undeniable, as is his less than amiable nature. The only way for Jorge to win over the Ducati fans is to win as soon as possible”. The happiest of all is Carlos: “I'm really pleased Lorenzo's coming on board. I love him as a rider and have always wanted to see him on the Ducati. I think he's more likely than anyone to bring us to the win. The ultimate would be to see Jorge on one bike either Casey Stoner or Max Biaggi supporting him as part of the team, as the rumours suggest”.
Any mention of Casey Stoner, the only one able to bring the red bike to the pinnacle of success, brings smiles, but at the same time there is regret about not seeing him race again in Ducati colours. Christoph from Germania sums it up perfectly: “Casey's return to Ducati is fantastic, and seeing him ride, even if only in the tests, is a pleasure. At the same time though I'm sorry that a talent like his is wasted in this way, and I would like to see him battle it out again with the other MotoGP riders”.
For some it is enough that the Australian limits himself to testing, as long as he does a good job. “If he can help with developing the bike, and preparing it as well as possible, then great. If he doesn't want to race, we respect his decision”. Among the various viewpoints, there are those that go further, considering Stoner's situation from another angle: “Casey coming to Ducati is simply a marketing exercise. Undoubtedly great in terms of attracting more sponsors, but nothing more, seeing as he's said on several occasions that he has no intention of returning to racing, not even as a wild card”.
by Gianmaria Rosati
