This again? If you like I can repost the article quoting the Kawasaki boss where he expressed unequivocal support for the single tyre rule. And the one where Suzuki made it perfectly clear that they were only taking a hiatus due to economic factors and had every intention of returning to MotoGP.Carmelo allowed Aprilia to field a SBK in MotoGP when he screwed up the control tyre decision and lost Suzuki and Kawasaki as a result.
So Bridgestone would have willingly taken design direction from Aprilia at the expense of someone like Stoner?Gigi abandoned Aprilia for Ducati, he knows more than us. Aprilia may Spring a surprise at some point, at present they simply make up the numbers and benefit from the competition. Just like tyre suppliers would have if they were allowed to hang around. The real point for being there, not the trophies.
If Rossi retires in 2018 will you subsequently change your position on the single tyre rule? If not, then Rossi isn't relevant to the debate which is about the underlying principle.Now in my previous post I acknowledge I made an error. A top rider on top tires did win 2007. The entire problem which led to the control tyre was it was assumed a lesser rider on a top bike and top tires won in 2007. It was being reported all over the place at the time. The PlayStation boy, winning with electronics. Rossi was outraged that this could happen. Yes Rossi, he believed in it vehemently. Stoner was a lesser rider. Wasn't trying 100%. He believed it right up until that fateful day at the end of 2010 at the Valencia test. He had to believe it, or no way in hell would he have signed up for Ducati. By then it was way too late, both for him and Carmelo.
Carmelo also believed strongly in what Rossi was saying. A lesser rider had won the championship, and set about preventing any recurrence. The fans tune in to watch the yellow mr T. rex, they aren't interested in skippy the kangaroo. Dinosaurs are far more entertaining. But by ensuring you got your fix of T. rex every week he completely destroyed the product of MotoGP to the point we had factory Honda and Yamaha vs CRT. In his desperation Carmelo actually started to push for a return to prototype or development tyres in 2012. They needed something. Interesting they looked so quickly to the tyres. They must be important.
The lack of competitive teams had little to do with Dorna and much more to do with the skewed balance of power with MSMA. Please refer to David Emmett's articles from the era for further elucidation.Having the whole thing so badly screwed up, hardly any competitive teams left, Carmelo had no choice at all but to go control ecu. This is nothing like control tyre. Electronics are horrendously expensive, while tyres are relatively cheap. How many electronics techs did satellite teams have vs factory. This was the artificial handicap the factory teams cared about, not tyres. Only Rossi and Carmelo cared about tyres.
Except of course that Ducati was competitive in 2015 as well, despite running Bridgestones.But the most obvious thing is 2016. We had much better competition. How can that be? Control ecu was a major factor yes. The other was Michelin. After years of development with Bridgestone, do you understand what the difference was with Michelin? A totally new tyre. The equivalent of a development or prototype tire.
They may not have scored any wins but they secured plenty of podiums and ended the season will almost as many manufacturer points as it scored in 2016.