Five reasons why Lorenzo should go to Ducati

1. Rossi
Cast your mind back to 2008 when Ducati marched Marco Melandri into a psychologist in a bid to find out why he couldn’t get the GP8 near the front of the pack. After all, Casey Stoner won the firm’s first-ever world title on the thing the season before, right? Melandri had talent, experience and grit but it ultimately ended the former 250cc world champ’s career. Nicky Hayden had a couple of lacklustre seasons until a self-believing Valentino Rossi came along with a very big point to prove to his bitter Australian rival. Both he and crew chief Jeremy Burgess had been vocal about Stoner’s inability to develop a bike, instead having to ride around the Ducati’s well publicised problems, saying they could dial-out the bike’s issues “in 80 seconds.” There’s no doubt the 2016 bike remains anything like it was then, and it’s a very different motorcycle than it was in 2011 and 2012 when Rossi recorded the first-ever winless seasons of his long and celebrated career, but that doesn’t matter. Because all Jorge will care about, and all that will likely be remembered in many years to come, was that Lorenzo achieved what Rossi couldn’t. And that is worth more to the Spaniard than any amount of money.

2. Money
But of course it helps. And while Lorenzo certainly doesn’t need the money, if he can be probably the only guy to one-up Rossi in terms of salary then it’s another psychological victory over the bloke he’s publicly liking less and less. The likelihood of Lorenzo earning more money than Rossi in 2017 is slim but, according to our calculations, the likelihood of Ducati offering more money to Lorenzo in 2017 than the 2011 equivalent it offered Rossi is pretty high. According to the 2011 Forbes list of highest paid athletes, Rossi was earning US$17m a year, a figure which doesn’t include his endorsements. Using the 2011 conversion rate, that equated to around €13 million a year, nearly $A17m in today’s money. If the rumours are to be believed, Ducati has offered Lorenzo in the vicinity of €10 and €15 million to make the switch, which puts him somewhere between $A15 and $A22 million a year and way up there in Rossi territory, even in today’s money.

3. Appreciation
We keep coming back to the R-word, but make no mistake. Lorenzo’s switch to Ducati would be far, far less appealing to the Spaniard if Rossi hadn’t failed at it. Think about it, he’s done everything he can. He’s won the world championship from him, he’s younger than him, he’s proved again and again that he’s faster than him and right now exudes far more promise and potential for Yamaha than the ageing Italian does. But for as much respect that Lorenzo holds in Yamaha — and it’s a lot — he’s never felt he has the appreciation or the pull he duly deserves. While Yamaha itself may not be directly responsible, the reality is Rossi gets VIP treatment and Lorenzo doesn’t. Rossi gets the best seat on transfer flights, Lorenzo doesn’t. Rossi gets swept through VIP doors, while Lorenzo queues in line. Rossi speeds away in limos while Lorenzo waits for a cab and while it doesn’t really matter or have any impact on the championship standings, somewhere, deep down it must upset the steely and determined focus of Jorge Lorenzo.

4. The challenge
One of the hardest working blokes in the paddock, Lorenzo relishes in a challenge. Dubbed Mr Perfect, he’s the only rider who can consistently run the same lap times, hitting the same points on the circuit, lap after lap after lap. His focus is unrivalled, his self-belief unwavering. For a fellow who has already won three world titles with Yamaha, the attraction of starting over with new and unfamiliar challenges would be strong for the 28-year old. So too, would be the attraction of joining a very elite list of names of men who have won premier-class world championships on more than one brand of bike, joining the likes of Geoff Duke, Giacomo Agostini, Eddie Lawson, Casey Stoner and, of course, Rossi.

5. The show
Not that it even register on Lorenzo’s list of priorities, but the spectacle of MotoGP would greatly increase in those first few rounds of the 2017 championship as the GP world holds its collective breath to see if the Majorcan can actually do it. In the same way the tyres and electronics have added to the spectacle at the beginning of the current 2016 season, a very familiar face decked out in unfamiliar leathers will do nothing to hurt the TV ratings of the very pinnacle of motorcycle grand prix racing.