無論 2008 或者之後發生什麼事， Valentino Rossi 已擠身MotoGP史上
偉大車手之列，但是，如今他面臨一個挑戰，一個GP史上唯一一位車手
曾經成功完成的壯舉。
Whatever happens in 2008 and beyond、Valentino Rossi has earned
a place among the all-time greats、but he now faces a challenge
that only one rider in the history of Grand Prix racing has ever
successfully met.

58年兩輪最高殿堂賽事，只有 Giacomo Agostini 在連續二年失去冠軍
後再拿下冠軍。
In the 58-year history of the premier Grand Prix class、only
Giacomo Agostini has ever retaken the title after being beaten
two years in a row.

1973年 Agostini被英國隊友 Phil Read 擊敗失去冠軍後轉到Yamaha，
1974年，再次爭冠失利，1975年，才奪回冠軍。
In 1975 Agostini、who had left MV and signed for Yamaha after
being beaten by his teammate、Britain’s Phil Read、in 1973、
lost again in 1974 before finally taking the title back in 1975.

其他最接近這壯舉的是，1983年肯尼王屈居第二位，僅僅輸了2分積分，
讓美國同胞Freddie Spencer（本田）贏得GP500冠軍。
The closest anyone else has come to regaining the premier title
after two years without it was the runner-up position taken by
Yamaha’s Kenny Roberts in 1983 when he lost the 500 title by
a mere two points to fellow American Freddie Spencer (Honda).

肯尼王在他的第一年(1978)菜鳥賽季就贏得GP500冠軍，然後三連冠，在
輸給 Suzuki車手Marco Lucchinelli(1981)及 Franco Uncini (1982)之
前。
而輸給21歲的 Spencer (仍是最年輕的GP最高等級冠軍，Stoner 22歲)後，
肯尼王已經31歲。
Roberts won the title in his rookie season in 1978 and went on
to take three 500 crowns in a row before losing the title to
Suzuki riders Marco Lucchinelli (『81) and Franco Uncini (『82).
After losing to 21-year-old Spencer (still the youngest ever
champion -- Casey Stoner is 22) Roberts retired at the age of 31.

Rossi 現在29歲，一個拿過七次冠軍的車手，五次最高等級賽事冠軍，
另外兩次，是125cc(1997) 和 250cc(1999)。
Rossi is now 29 and a winner of seven titles -- five in the big
class plus two additional titles in 125 (1997) and 250 (1999).

在為 Honda 奪得三連冠後(2001年~03年)，包含最後一次2行程500cc冠軍，
及第一次4行程990cc冠軍，Rossi 隨即離開 Honda ，04年加入 Yamaha，
儘管騎著火力不如RC211V的M1，仍立即拿下冠軍，技驚四座。
After taking three titles in a row for Honda (2001-2003)、including
the last title ever taken on a 500cc two stroke and the first on
a 990cc four stroke、Rossi left Honda for Yamaha in 2004 and
amazed by winning yet again despite being armed with a Yamaha M1、
widely considered to be inferior to the Honda RC211V.

在替Yamaha贏得兩年冠軍(自己的五連霸)後，最終被 Honda 的 Nicky Hayden
終止連霸當他幾乎確定冠軍已在自己口袋裡時，06年的 Valencia 最後戰役，
Rossi的摔車，摔碎了自己的六連霸。
After taking a second title for Yamaha his five-year winning streak
was finally stopped by American Nicky Hayden (Honda) when Rossi、
who seemed to have the sixth title in the bag、crashed out of the
final race of the 2006 season in Valencia.

結果證明是，那天他只要第六名完賽，第八個冠軍就在他手中。
As it turned out he would have only have needed to have finished
sixth that day to have taken the championship.

今年，羅西再次來到 Valencia 時，已無緣冠軍，冠軍已是 Stoner ，但是
仍需守住對 Honda 的 Pedrosa 24分積分優勢，確保世界第二。
This year Rossi came to the final round in Valencia out of contention
for the title、already clinched by Casey Stoner、but holding what
seemed an unassailable 24 point lead in the battle for second
place over Honda’s Dani Pedrosa.

來到07最後一戰，羅西只要確保無失分，Pedrosa 則要贏得分站冠軍去減少
和義大利人的差距。
Coming into the final round Rossi would have to go pointless and
Pedrosa would have to win for the Italian to lose the runner-up
slot.

之後發生了什麼事。
Rossi，他帶著在排位賽摔車骨折的右手進行比賽，因為離合器問題，
而 Pedrosa 嬴得最後一站冠軍………
一個令人驚異的逆轉。
And that is exactly what happened. Rossi、who was riding with
broken bones in his hand after a huge high-sider in qualifying、
crashed out early due to a clutch problem、and Pedrosa won…
an amazing reversal.

但是，藉著在各方之間的熟練手腕， Rossi 設法克服了 Bridgestone 不
供應他輪胎的異議，08年得以轉而使用 Bridgestone（山葉車手之中只有他）。
But、by skillful maneuvering in the offices、Rossi managed to
overcome Bridgestone’s objections to supplying him (and him
only among Yamaha riders) with tires for the 2008 season.

真正局勢推到危險頂點的是 Dorna 執行長 Carmelo Ezpeleta，他威脅
Bridgestone 將實施單一輪胎制(也許是威脅 Michelin)，說服 Bridgestone
提供羅西和Yamaha輪胎。
It took real brinksmanship by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta、who
threatened Bridgestone with a change to a single-tire system
(and probably Michelin、at that) to convince Bridgestone to
add Rossi and Yamaha to their list of
clients.

這動作使許多人惱怒了，尤其是 Stoner 和 Ducati，而這也強制了山葉
區隔 Rossi 和他的菜鳥隊友，二次250cc世界冠軍Jorge Lorenzo，在
FIAT Yamaha 車庫的中央築起一道 "山葉圍牆" 。
The move annoyed many、especially Stoner and Ducati、and it obliged
Yamaha to separate Rossi from his rookie teammate、two times 250
World Champion Jorge Lorenzo、building a wall up the middle of the
FIAT Yamaha garage.

Rossi 這次受爭議的動作非常不同於兩年前刺激他離開本田的理由。
This controversial move by Rossi was made for very different reasons
than the ones that motivated him to leave Honda two years ago.

羅西2003年末離開本田，是因為他要尋求 "新挑戰" ，但是，要再和山葉及
Michelin 承受 Ducati、Stoner和Bridgestone的挑戰，超過 Rossi 預期他
能遇到的挑戰。
Rossi left Honda at the end of 2003 because he wanted 『a new challenge,』
but taking on Ducati、Stoner、and Bridgestone again with Yamaha
and Michelin is now a little more of a challenge than Rossi feels
he can meet.

已經被山葉的契約綁住一年，Rossi 要求換輪胎，而最後得到了 Bridgestone，
在和Michelin 合作八年之後，離開了最近16年來贏得15次冠軍的 Michelin。
Already locked into another year with Yamaha、Rossi demanded、and
eventually got、Bridgestone、leaving Michelin after eight years and
after Michelin had won 15 of the last 16 titles.

他也已經說了，如果山葉 2008 年不能夠提供一輛具有競爭力的賽車，
他會離開……
甚至在與 La Gazzetta dello 運動的面談中提到，他可能轉隊到 Ducati 。
He has also said that if Yamaha cannot provide a competitive bike in
2008 he will leave…even suggesting in an interview with La Gazzetta
dello Sport that he might move to Ducati.


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SpeedTV.com:
Can Rossi Do What Only Agostini Has Done Before?