Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
Joined Jun 2007
10K Posts | 1K+
Norah Head
Stands to reason ..... the only rider who has seemed to be "ok" with being on rossis team was edwards, and he seemed happy just to collect the salary. I cant see a young bloke like Vinales just being there for the money and if he is being hindered to play second fiddle to rossi .... then yeah he'd be pissed.
That’s the thing If there is substance to this I guess, as has been said, when he was at Suzuki and if he had stayed the bike would have been developed around him. He perhaps doesn’t see much prospect of that at Yamaha, short or long term. Valentino will have a big say even if he is theoretically a satellite team, and will have his own protégés.
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Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Bar rumor indeed. Good of you to qualify it as such. I've partied with some paddock workers and GP vendors, the conversation get real interesting after a few brews. In the last year I've hosted some paddock workers and the son of a vendor (started off as, hey can you show a buddy around that is visiting LA) and have since become very genuine personal friends. Baseball games, shooting range (Euros seem to like to have a real American experience) and various other activities, theme parks, Hollywood tours, etc. stuff like that. From what I gather, the paddock is like one big family, close and disfunctional, like most communities. The US is far from the Euro racing dynamic, and I sometimes feel like its refreshing to hang-out here which I sense allows them to let their guard down a bit. I’ve never heard anything super juicy that I haven’t got from just watching, listening, reading, and observing the dynamic we are all privy to anyway.
To rift off of what you’re saying though, rumor or not, it is obvious from watching Mav that he is unhappy at Yamaha. Listen, Lorenzo is a multiple Yamaha champion and his style was the perfect fit for the M1, on the heels of a title, where Yamaha beat their arch rival Honda, he left (in reality he was pushed out)! I can’t remember who said this recently, I think it was Lorenzo’s agent, but he said it was ‘hell’ at Yamaha under Rossi’s influence. [EDIT: or was this Zarco's agent? I'm sure someone will correct me. ] This dynamic didn’t magically disappear, and I’d say it's actually gotten worse, considering the ‘mechanisms of tire “democracy “’ last year, and the “new” changes to the racing rules, that is, it's not only a ‘Yamaha’ thing Vinalez is contending with a Rossi-centric dynamic, as I’ve said before, he has realized what it's like to be Dorna’s “teammate” (you get my meaning)? I seriously doubt Mav is considering Cuntslowing his contract, but as to the message that he is unhappy, yeah, no ...., just observe his body language, not to mention he said he has to “bite his tongue” (I’m sure I’ve read him say this). Why would he have to "bite his tongue"? I'm no longer a Lorenzo fan, but Ducati couldn't have enticed him to ride their career killer bike if he was happy at Yahama. Why wasn't Lorenzo happy at Yamaha?
He could be using something like this as a bargaining chip with Yamaha. He threatens something like this and forces Yamaha to commit to him as their number 1 rider?
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Perhaps. Won't work though given Zarco was not retained. The Yamaha's project has one goal, and Mav isn't part of it.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Agree. He may be unhappy, but he isn't going anywhere. That seat is simply too good. As good as Suzuki 'may become' it will still have to compete with the factory Yamaha and Honda.
Remembering Hopkins kicked his Suckzuki, sure, agree, they all look dissatisfied when their bikes are not working, but there is an observable degree of difference in their outward behavior by riders that can be distinguished and how much they are willing to throw their employer under the bus. Here's look at you Cuntwhore...
Lorenzo is the only one I see looking at Suzuki as his Savior. Meanwhile I'm enjoying his Ducati .... show. (Though I will say, he probably has a win or a podium coming at somepoint in the season this year on a Marc/Dovi off day).
I tried one for a bit when it was launched. Easily the most comfortable 1000 out there. You could do long rides on it without any trouble.
Depends on the situation, I said this to people regarding the Yamaha-Dunlop defection at TT 2015. When you employ a motorcycle racer to get results the employer needs to provide a machine capable of doing so, it's a two way deal and Yamaha didn't uphold their end of the bargain in that situation which led to a star rider taking the unprecedented action of walking out of one team and into another one during the same meeting and as much as Michael was .... on he was justified in his performances.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
I agree that there is an agreement between rider and factory (if you're a factory branded rider, satellites riders must operate under a different dynamic) that the factory needs to deliver a competitive machine whilst the rider agrees to ride it to the limit. But some factories are not either willing or capable of it, take for example KTM and Aprillia, they’re trying but are way behind the experience and resources of Honda and Yamaha. Suzuki I think are simply unwilling to put in the balls to the wall effort required to compete with Honda and Yamaha.
In regards to Hopkins, I don’t think we can say he didn’t put his .... on the line to get everything out of his machines, that includes his rookie year. This has left his body quite broken. In this case, I think his employers (Kawasaki and Suzuki GP) let him down. I know you are a Cal Crutchlow fan (and you know I am not, believe me, I cringe knowing my friend Arrabi reads my posts) but the thought that I had as I wrote my post was him talking smack about his RCV when he was interviewed after he had just got the pole position. I felt it was ungracious in the extreme, I mean come on man, you’re on pole position, don’t ruin the moment by saying Honda are costing you time because you’re ‘rightfully’ testing parts. Sure, I don’t mind these guys talking about the deficiencies of the machines when they obviously don’t think they’re to blame, but some of these guys go way overboard, some weaponizing the media not so much to put pressure on their employer but rather to clear themselves of their shortcomings. Rossi is good at doing this for example. Dovi and Hayden were too docile to hold their employer’s accountable.
Marquez was vocal about the power delivery of the previous engine, and this was backed up by Pedrosa and Crutchlow. So I agree, these guys should be free to express themselves about the machine’s shortcomings, but I think there is a distinction between doing this and whining. It’s a fine line, no doubt, and there may be other factors at play. For example, recently the electronics have become a Yamaha talking point, well, unless Yamaha are not privy to what’s going on at Tech3, I don’t see how this can be such a blind spot for the factory given Zarco’s performance, granted he is on a different chassis, but we are talking electronics. Therefore, what’s wrong with the “new” package that the “old” package is doing better? Another thing to consider is this, I remember talking to a Moto2 tech (one of those paddock guys that I recently hosted on a visit to my area) who said sometimes the factories don’t use the better solution because of an agreement with a vendor to use the “newest” product, and so the team struggles to make the new part work knowing damn well the previous model was superior. It comes down to a marketing pressure, the vendor (or factory) have made a “new” product and have spent a large budget to market it. No way are they going to say, ooops we screwed up, the older model is better. That is why when the factory guys want to use a previous chassis/swing arm for example, its not just a question of performance, there is pressure by the rider because he wants to go faster, but there is pressure from the standpoint of the factory that has a reputation to uphold, and they would look stupid that their "new" stuff is ..... The message being they're not progressing normally. I’ve seen this happens with suspension components. So there are probably many layers to this dynamic that we as spectators are not privy.
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Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
The offer that Suzuki made to Maverick at the end of 2016 to convince him to stay was better than the one he had from Yamaha.
He chose Yamaha because he wanted to aim to a World Title which, I reckon, he would 100% be able to do if he could get back to the comfort with the bike that he had in the first tests/races. But he can't, and that is the issue.
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
I don't think so. He already has a signed contract and a set deal, that he would indeed have to break.
And mate, no one will ever be Yamaha's number 1 until Rossi is there.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
He is still blazing fast when he gets the bike at a level that is decent for him.
I'm nowhere near a Vinales fan so I have no interest in "defending" him, but credit where is due. He is one talented kid.
Yamaha does not have a number 1 and 2 riders.
Both get the same equipment and support, there are no clauses that stop them from fighting each other on track and the engine spec is frozen only after both riders agree on it.
Joined Feb 2018
681 Posts | 535+
Italy
I agree. However that is not what I meant.
We must not forget how important psychology can be for a rider (well for any athlete, really) and almost anyone would feel a bit "inferior" in the Yamaha box due to Rossi's immense exposure, and no one really likes that. This is really not Rossi's fault so I'm not blaming him (for once
) but is just undeniable IMHO.
Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
