ACCORDING to The Daily Telegraph, Valentino Rossi will retire at the end of 2012.
The paper claims that sources close to Rossi have said that his closest friends and advisers have told him that a retirement at the end of the season could save his reputation and also reduce the chances of a serious injury.
The paper claims that Rossi has also told his father and his manager, Davide Brivio that he won't race after this year. It is also claimed that Rossi's long-time Crew Chief, Jeremy Burgess is due to retire at the end of the season due to personal reasons.
Despite The Daily Telegraph claiming to have a good source, MotoGP fans will know that Rossi is keen on mind games. Could this be Rossi's latest effort to squeeze the powers that be at Ducati - now flush with cash since being bought by VW - to spend more money developing the bike or pay more attention to Rossi, who has been struggling on his Ducati while his rival Ducati riders have been finishing higher up the order.
The Rossi saga continues. Will it ever end?
