MotoGP: what's Italian, red and has Valentino Rossi in a tizz?

Valentino Rossi has a simple approach to change. Spend a season learning the new bike, formula, team, whatever - and then dominate it in the second season.

Rossi, now 31, has given himself two years to bring the World Championship home aboard an Italian bike, specifically a Ducati.

The Yamaha - Rossi love in has lasted a remarkable (and seemingly over in the blink of an eye) seven years making Rossi one of the most loyal riders in the pits. Rossi talks of his love affair with his M1 saying "Unfortunately even the most beautiful love stories finish, but they leave a lot of wonderful memories, like when my M1 and I kissed for the first time on the grass at Welkom, when she looked straight in my eyes and told me ‘I love you!'"

He remembers that his move from Honda was seen by many as an act of near-madness: ""Many things have changed since that far-off time in 2004, but especially ‘she', my M1, has changed. At that time she was a poor middle-grid position MotoGP bike, derided by most of the riders and the MotoGP workers. Now, after having helped her to grow and improve, you can see her smiling in her garage, courted and admired, treated as the ‘top of the class'.”

Rossi, recovering from one of motorcycling's most horrible crashes, fell of his beloved M1 again on Saturday in qualifying for the Czech GP in Brno. But he was uninjured and eventually qualified on the second row of the grid.

He's got ten races left on the M1 and Yamaha is clear: he's a factory rider and they are going to give him all the support they can until the end of the contract. There's no bitterness, no rancour in what must rank as one of the friendliest break-ups in any sport ever. Although Ducati have confirmed the announcement, their involvement in the weekend's news has been from the back burner.

Yamaha and Rossi have formed an amazing bond and, despite Rossi's decision to go, it's clear that it is not an easy decision for either rider or team. Ducati could have tried to gatecrash the news but stood back with dignity.

After all, there are just eight hours of racing to go before the strange little Italian sits on board the most evocative name on the grid, even if it's not the most successful.

There's just one outstanding matter: will Rossi replace either Hayden or Stoner? Hayden has at last begun to get to grips with the bike just as Stoner seems to be struggling, albeit due to a recurrent illness earlier in the season. Having said that, Stoner finished three places and 15 seconds ahead of Hayden in Brno yesterday and he's 20 points ahead of Hayden despite many non-finishes and low places. Stoner is clearly not finished yet.

In fact, the answer to the question is already known: last week, it was announced that Stoner was leaving Ducati to become a factory rider for Honda.