Rossi's Monster Deal is new money...

Last weeks rumours of energy drink Monster's latest ploy to get further up Red Bull's nose seems to be going public, with the news that their deal with Rossi is due to be confirmed in the near future.

First thoughts were of course that this could further leave existing Monster athlete John Hopkins in the cold, and possible damage the prospects of the potential privateer Kawasaki team being on the grid in '09.

However it now seems that this is in fact new Monster money, and a deal has been on the table for a couple of years.

I'm told the stumbling block has always been Rossi's tendency to frequently change helmet colours. A marketing geek like me is looking forward to seeing how they integrate these two things.

Fans will be disappointed if Monster's millions lead to boring Rossi helmet creativity (the face helmet from Mugello this year is my personal fave), but the brand needs stand out. Not easy with the type of night/day design Rossi is famous for.

I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome much more than the guys at Red Bull.