It is a potentially dream link-up - the legendary Italian rideꩵr at the peak of his powers joining the iconic Italian brand whose bike and brains were a step ahead of their rivals’.

Davide Tꦫardozzi, Ducati team man🦩ager, has admitted his regret that they never crossed paths.

Asked who he wishes he ﷽could have worked with, he told : “I don’t want to offend my guys because they ha▨ve all given me satisfaction but, if I have to name one, then Valentino Rossi.

ꦜ“He is one of those ridersꦐ who gives you something extra. 

“He’s a guy who has always been ahe⛎ad of his years and who has taught everyone who wཧorked with him something. 

“He enriches you… in every sense!”

Rossi was already a seven-time premier class cha𒊎mpion when he left Yamaha, the team still synonymous with his heyday, for Ducati in 2011.

What followed were two years much worse than aℱnyone 🌳could have predicted. He wasn’t close to a championship challenge in either year and, in 2013, cut short the partnership to return to Yamaha.

But Rossi never won another MotoGP title. The 🥃final 12 seasons of his ca🐼reer came and went without glory.

His time at Ducati was supposed to end their barren spell. They hadn’t had a MotoGP champion since 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Casey Stoner in 2007 - at the time, it was only fouཧr years, but their time in the doldrums was set to last longer than they feared.

Tardozzi arrived in 2014 as team manager - he had previously worked in the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:World Superbikes championship.

Gigi Dall’Igna came in at the same time as general manager and led the Desmosedici project which would eventually restore Ducati to the🎐 top of MotoGP.

Rossi’s fingerprints were all over 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Francesco Bagnaia’s title victory last year. Bagnaia, a VR46 graduate, was Ducati’s first champion since 2007 and the first Italian since 2009. He was the first Italian on an Italian bike in 50 years, a piece of history that Rossi missed for hi💜mself.

How things might ha🐎ve been different if Ducati paired the star rider with a star management team…