From the World Superbike site:
Reports from Italy suggest that Davide Tardozzi is about to leave his current position as Team Boss of the Ducati Corse WSB squad after almost 20 years of partnership with the Bologna factory.
Tardozzi is a legend in the WSB community, having been team manager to 1996 World Champion Troy Corser in his pre-factory times, and then the guiding force behind further Ducati victories for Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland. In total Tardozzi has won ten Riders' Championships as a Ducati team manager. Having almost won the first ever WSB Championship for Bimota, Tardozzi was a seven times Italian Superbike Champion as a rider, and four times a winner in WSB races.
An official announcement of Tardozzi's resignation is expected on Monday 9 November, if not sooner.
hmmm, Id never thought about Tardozzi going to the MotoGP team, I'd been thinking that he was quiting due to the Haga/Fabrizio fiasco which helped Haga lose the championship.(but that's just my thoughts)
As for Rossi going to Ducati - he's said he's not interested in going to Ducati - but as Blues says, he wouldn't go if Stoner was still there & as Stoner seems to be the only person able to actually ride the Ducati, I can't see them wanting to get rid of him anytime soon.
I think Rossi could ride the Ducati, but, as you say, can't see them wanting to lose Stoner, and Rossi doesn't seem to like a strong team mate on an equal bike.
Quite where Tardozzi goes ? Dunno ? DucatiWSB certainly won't be the same without him.
If Tardozzi got nowt to do he could come and play with my Honda. But what i would like to see is Stoner and Rossi in the same team, but don't think it will happen unfortunately.
Update from Tardozzi:
The shock news of the resignation of Davide Tardozzi from the head of Ducati's WSB programme has now been explained by the man himself, who simply appears to need a new challenge to keep himself going forward. "Sometimes there are some moments when you are looking for something else in your life and something else in your career, whatever," said Tardozzi. "I am just looking forward to having something else. I would like to have the experience of something else but nothing so far. I am waiting to see if someone will call me."
Tardozzi is fully aware that his decision brings to him no guarantees about his future, but hopes him reputation and experience will prove valuable to others who may need his assistance to move onto the next level. "It is a kind of bet with yourself when you do something like that. And it is a way to be honest with the people who always have paid you, Ducati. When you do not feel any more to have the right spirit and feeling, I feel you have to leave. I do not want to be there just to hold a chair and earn a salary."
Davide is keen to say thank you to the people who understood his position and allowed him to leave before his contract has expired. "I have to say thank you to Claudio Domenicali and Filippo Preziosi who let me to go away although I had a two-year contract with them. They understood what the position was and realised that it was done for human reasons, not professional reasons."
once stoner has gone to honda. He'll never be no2 to stoner.
Stoner will be no 2 to Rossi on the Duke Blues. I have no doubt that Rossi will be able to ride the Ducati better than Stoner - and will be more entertaining while he does it!
THE FOLLOWING BLOG IS NOT FICTION BUT WAS REPORTED IN SPANISH AND ITALIAN PRESS BUT WAS GIVEN NO COMMENT FROM DUACTI BUT INSIDERS SAY THIS DID HAPPEN.
Tardozzi was sacked over Ducati losing the championship and Haga has said he wouldn't work with him again due to him being unprofessional and bias with team orders.
Stoner's GP sabbatical was brought upon not because of an unknown illness but exhaustion and frustration that his 2009 bike was in a worse state than his 2008 bike and none of the improvements he asked for were carried out to improve the handling and connection (throttle engine tyre response) of the bike in early 2009 testing. As the season continued the situation did not improve and then came Donnington were Stoner had lost all confidence with the team and bike thus making the decision to run wets.
Stoner criticized Ducati's test rider and tested in private during his sabbatical to cure the machines problem's. Stoner proved he was right in the redesign on his return to Moto GP. Stoner asked for a change in the position of Livio Suppo as the situation was becoming unworkable.
The crash on the warm up lap on a cold tyre at the last round causing Stoner to crash was not down to a tyre warmer on switch failure which left the tyre cold but it was admitted that a mechanic failed to switch the tyre warmer on.
must admit - I did think that Tardozzi leaving did have something to do with losing the championship & the fiasco with Haga etc
& as for Stoner's 'sabatical' - that sort of rings true aswell.
Looks like Ducati - both WSBK & MotoGp teams were not playing ball properly this last year . Let's hope they get their act together for next year!
It has now been confirmed that Davide Tardozzi has joined the BMW World Superbike team. The three-year deal will see Tardozzi head-up BMW's effort; the Italian team manager retired from Xerox Ducati at the end of last season, stating he was looking for fresh challenges. Tardozzi came under fire after rider Noriyuki Haga failed to win the 2009 World Superbike Championship - his decision not to enforce team orders resulted in Haga's teammate, Michel Fabrizio, gaining valuable points which, some say, cost the team the 2009 WSB crown.That said, Tardozzi, 50, is still one of WSB's most successful team managers of all time, having won crowns with Carl Fogarty, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Troy Bayliss.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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