Yeah, Stoner's not Rossi's biggest fan, for sure; nature of the competitive beast. But it's a cheap shot calling it a Yamaha. What it has become is more of a cookie-cutter 2012 MotoGP bike, that when you consider it in total is really more like a...Honda.
Every series that has a really locked-down spec, especially one with spec tires, will see everyone's designs eventually coalesce around what works best, and Ducati have simply had to assimilate to compete. Forget who's better, Stoner or Rossi; it was obvious the carbon monocoque just wasn't the best solution for the series.
Abandoning their signature new design was no doubt a bitter pill for Ducati to swallow, especially when the whole business of getting Rossi on board for big $$ was intended to bring them a world championship just in time to launch their all-new superbike that incorporated a mix of SBK and MotoGP in terms of design. Checa salvaged it for them to an extent by unexpectedly winning the WSBK title on their old bike and they've spun the MotoGP issues well-enough, but it for sure wasn't the launch they were hoping for.
Once the 1199 is released to the media (and us, the public), the monocoque chassis is really going to be the focus of everyone given all the above. The engine looks great and should be a big step forward, but it's evolutionary not revolutionary, and most of other other bits have been done in pieces elsewhere before. So it's the monocoque chassis and what it brings to the ride that will tell the tale. I think it's pretty safe to say that it will be the stiffest superbike chassis available in terms of torsional and bending stiffness; you just can't have much flex in that front airbox/subframe and maintain the strength you need. What remains to be seen is how that will play out in ride and handling qualities given the rest of the design. Should be fantastic anywhere except mega lean/load (which is of course where the GP guys were suffering with it), so arguably great for a streetbike but not as much so for a racebike. So for most folks it'll be the lightest, fastest, coolest bike they ever rode. Just hope the wheelie-boys don't get too carried away; one hates to think of the stresses on those two studs holding the front of that monocoque to the head under a hard drop. Good thing it ain't a Gixxer... ;-)
Anywho, we shall see soon enough. Doubt much of value in terms of true race-worthiness of the platform will come from the first-ride stuff that'll flow from this weekend's rollout, as that will likely be gushing praise and drool. It'll be down the pipe when it's time for Masterbike and other comparo's with spec tires and data-logging when the true nature of the beast will be revealed.
