It is such a shame that this happened, he has done so much for Ducati as a business and for the race team. Nicky is such a class act about the whole ordeal as well. He is quoted as saying “I’m not coming back to Ducati in MotoGP. They’ve chosen to go a different way.” He was very stoic over the years, giving 100% to an under performing bike. Besides only three podiums for Ducati since 2009, Nicky hasn’t been able to perform to his full potential. If Casey Stoner has said the bike is scrap and had to change his riding style, means the bike was bad. If Valentino Rossi, the greatest rider of all time, can’t get the bike to perform? Yeah, bad bike. The biggest thing is everyone understands Ducati needs to sell bikes with different technology to stand out from the crowd. They don’t feel the need to differentiate between their race bikes and street bikes.
Nicky did a lot of work for the business side of Ducati in the States as well. He was a hard working loved all around PR machine with the brand. While he was with the team, the sales of Ducatis in the States overtook the sales in Italy. He is good for the brand, he’s never not given his all for the team. He’s just so genuine and has love for what he does, he’s a valued resource for any team, but the sad reality is. He’s not willing to let himself go to a CRT ride or a satellite ride. He knows what he’s worth but he’s humble about it, even with his pride. What’s there for Nicky to do? The only real option is World Superbike, drop him on one of those machines, he’s going to shine even brighter than he did in MotoGP. But that’s for Nicky to decide, he may just retire, never have been able to show his full and real potential on an equal bike with the exception for that magical championship winning year in 2006.
On The Pit Lane 