Does Rossi's Hiring Mean Doohan is Finished?

World 250 champion Valentino Rossi has turned down a multi-million dollar pay check to join Honda and move to 500s. Italian factory Aprilia were so desperate to hold onto the charismatic 20-year-old that they'd offered him the massive deal to stay in 250s and defend his number-one plate.

But the youngster obviously decided that he couldn't turn down Honda's offer of a move to 500s, running full-factory versions of the best bike on the 500 grid, even though the world's biggest motorcycle manufacture had been reputed to have offered just half the Aprilia deal.

Rossi will run factory NSRs and moves into 500s under the expert eye of Jerry Burgess, the Australian who has worked with Mick Doohan since the former 500 champ came into GPs in 1989.

Burgess' post as Rossi's 500 mentor had heightened rumors that Doohan will soon announce his retirement from racing, following a 1999 plagued by serious injuries.

Now the youngest 250 world champ in GP history following his domination of this year's quarter-litre class, Rossi made his GP debut in 1996 and won the 125 crown the following year, at the age of 18. -- amasuperbike.com