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TIME wise, it's about a second per lap back. That's significant, but not the "terrible awful no good very bad" bike that so many seem to think. It needs work, but that's not a gap that says there's no hope.
Here is a complete list of bikes in the whole world that are faster than a Ducati factory MotoGP bike:
1) Honda factory MotoGP bike
2) Yamaha factory MotoGP bike
3) Yamaha satellite MotoGP bike when supported strongly by the factory
4) Honda satellite MotoGP bike when supported strongly by the factory
Period.
So that's 2 designs, 8 riding job positions, and less than 20 actual physical motorcycles, total, in the world, that can beat a Ducati MotoGP bike around a track.
So if Hayden or Rossi could step into one of those 8 jobs, then that's a step up. ANYTHING else is a step down.
Both of them are in the best position they could be right now, as I don't see much chance of either of them being taken up by Honda or Yamaha.
WSB has some great racing right now, and is cool to watch. But it's a step down from MotoGP.
Some people might rather contest for the win in a lesser series than struggle in the top series; indeed several of the current top WSB riders fall into that category.
It looks like Hayden and Rossi both would rather fight with the very best than accept defeat and step down, at least for now.
CRTs are pointless and meaningless, and don't really count as MotoGP; if I was Edwards having to step down, I'd much rather have stepped back down to WSB than to a CRT bike.
Hayden, Edwards, and Spies have all already done the superbike thing. Edwards and Spies having won WSB championships, and Hayden an AMA championship. Any of them might do it again, but for them it's practically an admission of retirement.
PhilB