WSBK » Ducati: Rossi, Bayliss duel unlikely

Who actually believed that Rossi would race Bayliss on his home turf (WSBK) ? To prove what ? Rossi was all over Bayliss in 2004/2005. Why would he risk mid season to do such a duel just because an oz guy beat him to some magazine trophy...
Seriously

hah!! as expected!! some reporters really liked to spin what rossi actually said! well with the lull of off-season, it''s to be expected. but to think the rumour/gossip/wishful thinking of some fans do really blow out of proportions.. haha!
still... it really made the off-season abuzz withh ''what-ifs''... thus repels some of the boredom

@kostas
Know your facts a little bit better, as to why Rossi was all over Bayliss in 2004/2005. Why did you leave out 2003?
Just summing up some years does not make you seem knowledgeable.

Jules W - 2003 ? Rossi was MOTOGP champion so what's the issue with 2003 exactly ?

Just look like Rossi is playing with the media, he made a kind of suggestions then everybody buy the story and want to make it as a scoop, same story about Honda pulling out of Motogp, an idiot in spain from Solo moto hear something from Honda reconsidering his effort(better budget control)and over sudden he write on the Solomoto front page Honda will withdraw from Motogp.

Let this guys concentrate on them championships... I hate speculations like this.

@James W.
It is out of scope why was Rossi better than Bayliss. Many would say Rossi had a better team, better bike, better haircut etc etc. What's left at the end though, is results.
I dont want to open a discussion why was Rossi better, because these parameters are disputable.
What is indisputable though, is numbers. No one can argue that at the end of the season Rossi gathered more numbers than Bayliss. I didn't mention 2003 because Bayliss was a rookie and was learning.
What would a duel in WSBK prove ? That Bayliss would probably own Rossi just as Rossi did in MotoGP. So what? If you put Rossi and Bayliss against me on a trial bike I would own them both! Does it make me a better rider?

So.. Bayliss is chicken then?

Imo, Rossi is, or should be, the more complete rider. Ask Colin Edwards when he and Rossi rode the Suzuka 8 hours on the VTR1000.
I do not doubt Bayliss' raw talent however. "To prove what ? Rossi was all over Bayliss in 2004/2005"
To look at the end results in 03, 04 or 05 is just one way of looking at this.
But if end results are all that matter, then for instance was Criville really that good? After all, he was a world champion once. Or what about Schwantz?
How come Schwantz, who has only won one single world title will always be remembered as one of the best riders in history, where as most would have already forgotten about Criville?

(continued)
Does this mean that results and end results do not say it all? What about Haga? He hasn't won a world title, but he is still regarded as one of today's finest riders.
Results only tell one part of the story, ask Rossi in 2006 and 2007. No offense to Nicky and Casey though, they did a fine job.