Motorcycle racing crew chief legend Jeremy Burgess was surprised when Valentino Rossi notified him yesterday of his decision to drop the Australian for the 2014 MotoGP season.

After working together since 2000, the Italian made the call for a crew chief change as he heads into the final year of his current Yamaha contract.

“Clearly it blindsided me, I was not expecting it whatsoever,” Burgess told the media during practice for the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix in Spain.

“I knew yesterday afternoon when Valentino invited me to his trailer that we weren’t going for a Christmas bonus…”

“I’m obviously disappointed, but I can understand some sort of change was necessary.

“History will determine the outcome of this adjustment we are making, which is aimed at trying to improve the overall package for Valentino.

“If this is what does it, then it has been a success.

“We have been chasing Jorge [Lorenzo] all year, we haven’t nailed anything decent in four years.

“These are long periods in racing, and it becomes more and more difficult.

“I’d read many sports biographies and quite often cases the top sportsman at the end of his career makes a change of caddy or a change of coach.”

Rossi’s decision to go in a new crew chief direction could bring forward 60-year-old Burgess’s decision to leave the sport he has been involved in at an international level since 1980.

“I haven’t made any plans for the future at this stage,” said the Australian.

“My intention originally, obviously, was continue next year dependent on results and desire. Our contracts are year by year, so we are at that liberty to make a call. We have been chasing rainbows for four years; we haven’t nailed anything decent in those four years, so these are long periods in racing and it becomes more and more difficult.”

On the track championship leader Marc Marquez set the pace in the first two free practice sessions.