Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi believes that current team-mate Jorge Lorenzo will be competitive with the Ducati Desmosedici on which he will contest MotoGP next year.
The Doctor, who taunted Lorenzo by saying it ’took balls’ to try and win world championships with different manufacturers, says the bike is now competitive, so the Spaniard should be at the sharp end.
“Difficult to say for me, but more or less the same. Different moment in terms of time because I’m older but it’s similar in terms of moment in our careers,” said Rossi.
“Looks like that the Ducati in the last two years has improved a lot and is a competitive bike, it’s for sure very different to Yamaha. I know the skills of Lorenzo to ride and I think that he will be competitive with Ducati.
“What didn’t work for me was the match between me and the bike. What we have to understand is the match between Lorenzo and the bike. But I am sure he can be competitive.
“I sincerely don’t know the level of the Ducati compared with the Yamaha and Honda but I think when Lorenzo arrive, we will know.”