Valentino Rossi's long-time crew chief Jeremy Burgess looks set to join the Italian rider in moving from Yamaha to Ducati.
Although Burgess, who also achieved great success with Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan, had previously followed Rossi from Honda to Yamaha when he made his first major team change, it was not certain that he would stay with Rossi again for 2011. However Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Burgess has now decided to make the Ducati move, too.
"It's a new challenge," Burgess is quoted as saying. "It's true we'll have fewer test days, but we start from a more competitive base compared to 2004, when Yamaha was not as strong as Honda.
"On top of that, Valentino will be able to build a fine relationship with [Ducati boss] Filippo Preziosi, as he did in Yamaha with Masao Furusawa. Dealing directly with the top project manager speeds up work and makes problem solving easier."