Full Throttle

Seventy-two MILLION! For three years!

What the hell is today’s date? April the 1^st?

Ferrari offers Rossi euro 60 million for F1 debut.

Ferrari confirmed it wants to give world motorcycling champion Valentino Rossi his Formula One debut in 2007 but denied reports that an agreement has been already reached.

Italian media speculated that Ferrari was prepared to give the Italian rider - Italy’s most popular sportsman - a three-year contract worth euro60 million (US$72 million).

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher’s contract with Ferrari expires at the end of 2006, the same year to which Rossi recently extended his MotoGP contract with Yamaha.

Rossi, who can clinch his fifth straight world MotoGp title in Malaysia this weekend, has already had two tests with Ferrari - one last year and another in August.

He has said in recent interviews that he was looking forward to new racing experiences.

“We are interested and would like to have him with us, because we believe the Ferrari-Rossi combination is very alluring,” Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport published Saturday.

“It depends on him … if he wants to seriously begin a career in Formula One he will have to undergo tests. We have not yet discussed a program of tests - let’s wait until he wins the title and then we will see.”

Ferrari has already hired Felipe Massa to replace Rubens Barrichello as second driver for next season. Massa’s contract also expires at the end of 2006.

Jesus H. Christ in a hand basket! If placing an Italian in the monoque chassis built in Modeno is worth that much, I’m checking my family tree.

There must be some reason I gorge on pasta. If I can find one single DNA strand that says “Italian gene pool” I’m putting in my resume, pronto.

The next thing you here will be Jenson Button claiming ancestry dating to Giuseppe Garibaldi and Juan Manuel Fangio. With a side order of Mario Andretti!