Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Ok, I’ve decided to do something special for the end of this season. As you guys can see, the forum is conducting a "CHIP IN" drive. The forum needs an upgrade, so in true community fashion, we are the ones being asked to chip in. Here is what I plan to do, I will add a year of write up provided that the chip in meter go up by no less than five bucks. (No I was not asked to do this, and if Ben thinks its not in good taste, he can delete this thread or whatever). Here is what I'll do in exchange, this season will see Valentino Rossi end his run aboard a Yamaha. Being that I’m one of the biggest Valentino fans, naturally I figure I’d write a little recap of his years with the Japanese brand. Hahaha, this reminds me of the thread that I think Curve started what seemed a farewell bid using a pictorial, which I thought was funny and a bit ........, because it seemed like the tone was along the lines of retirement or death or something. Haha So I’ll take a bit of a different approach (of course its will be cooler since I'm doing it, eh). I’ll do a several part series as this takes a bit of time to recap Rossi’s years on a Yamaha only. I’ll start with 2004, and when I have more time, go on to a year-by-year recap ending with 2010. There is a lot to write for each season, but I’m going to try and only write about the highlights of each year. I would like to see you guys add whatever you’d like to each write up, even noteworthy race by race tid bits you may remember, this way at the end it will be a wealth of info, but all I ask is that you stay within the year in which is being covered so that we don't go on to the next year until the chip in meter goes up by at least 5. And I don’t mind being slammed for stuff either, it would be in keeping with our great forum. Haha So the first part, I will cover 2004, his first year with Yamaha. The meter is currently at 130.
Once upon a time…In 2004, Valentino Rossi moved from the most successful manufacture of the era, Honda, to its sister rival, Yamaha. That year, Yamaha reduced its number of M1s from 5 to 4, in hopes to consolidate its effort around Valentino (Carlos Checa was his teammate). Valentino persuaded his mainly Australian team, headed by Jeremy Burgess, to join him at the new Japanese brand.
Yamaha had 2 bikes for the factory squad and 2 for the satellite team. Each bike run in either Gauloises or Fortuna livery, a brand owned by the same company. That year had representation of various manufactures (4 Japanese and 2 Italian brands), engine configurations, chassis, and three tire brands; which now has unfortunately evaporated into a spec tire series with only three Japanese brands, one barely hanging on, and of course, the Italian former radio makers turned spectacular motorcycle manufacture. The scene was set, at the season opener would be at the Welkom circuit in South Africa.
Valentino Rossi’s first race on board a Yamaha was for a win, and in so doing broke the factory’s longest losing streak. And if that were not enough, that win also represented a breaking of a record, which was beating the great Giacomo Agostini’s run of 22 consecutive podium finishes. Fast forward the season, and its no surprise why Valentino counts the spectacular Australian circuit, Phillip Island, as one of his favorites, because it was here, at the penultimate round, that he sealed his first Yamaha title with a victory no less. He later backed up that title with another win at season finale, Valencia, earning a total of 304 points, 47 points over the runner up, his rival, Sete Gibernau.
It was this year, when the famed “Curse of Qatar” would be uttered by Valentino, in which it seems he put a spell on his Spanish rival by saying he would never win a race again. It was a vindictive moment to be sure, as he felt it was Gibernau that complained to race direction about an illegal cleaning of his starting spot, thus penalizing Vale to the rear of the grid. Valentino subsequently crashed trying to catch up to the Spaniard. But the following race, Rossi, after winning, proceeded to get a broom from a marshal and swept the ground as his victory celebration. Many production celebrations have followed aboard the Yamaha.
It goes without saying, that Rossi’s accomplishments have been legion. But to finish this first part in the series covering his Yamaha years, consider that his first year with the brand saw him continue to enter the record books. Having sealed up his fourth crown in a row, the first with Yamaha, meant he joined a short but illustrious list of riders who had accomplished one plus three titles in consecutive years; Ago, Hailwood, and Doohan. Winning on different brands was the more amazing point of note, joining such names as Geoff Duke, Giacomo, and Eddie Lawson; Lawson & Rossi being the only two to have done this during consecutive seasons. And this was just his first year on a Yamaha.
Valentino won at the following rounds in 2004: RSA, ITA, CAT, NED, GBR, POR, MAL, AUS, & VAL. 9 wins, two DNFs (BRA & QAT). An interesting note is that only twice did Rossi podium while not scoring the win, which were 2nd places at CZE & JPN. The rest of his placements were either 4th or DNFs.
In 2005… (meter at 130)
Once upon a time…In 2004, Valentino Rossi moved from the most successful manufacture of the era, Honda, to its sister rival, Yamaha. That year, Yamaha reduced its number of M1s from 5 to 4, in hopes to consolidate its effort around Valentino (Carlos Checa was his teammate). Valentino persuaded his mainly Australian team, headed by Jeremy Burgess, to join him at the new Japanese brand.
Yamaha had 2 bikes for the factory squad and 2 for the satellite team. Each bike run in either Gauloises or Fortuna livery, a brand owned by the same company. That year had representation of various manufactures (4 Japanese and 2 Italian brands), engine configurations, chassis, and three tire brands; which now has unfortunately evaporated into a spec tire series with only three Japanese brands, one barely hanging on, and of course, the Italian former radio makers turned spectacular motorcycle manufacture. The scene was set, at the season opener would be at the Welkom circuit in South Africa.
Valentino Rossi’s first race on board a Yamaha was for a win, and in so doing broke the factory’s longest losing streak. And if that were not enough, that win also represented a breaking of a record, which was beating the great Giacomo Agostini’s run of 22 consecutive podium finishes. Fast forward the season, and its no surprise why Valentino counts the spectacular Australian circuit, Phillip Island, as one of his favorites, because it was here, at the penultimate round, that he sealed his first Yamaha title with a victory no less. He later backed up that title with another win at season finale, Valencia, earning a total of 304 points, 47 points over the runner up, his rival, Sete Gibernau.
It was this year, when the famed “Curse of Qatar” would be uttered by Valentino, in which it seems he put a spell on his Spanish rival by saying he would never win a race again. It was a vindictive moment to be sure, as he felt it was Gibernau that complained to race direction about an illegal cleaning of his starting spot, thus penalizing Vale to the rear of the grid. Valentino subsequently crashed trying to catch up to the Spaniard. But the following race, Rossi, after winning, proceeded to get a broom from a marshal and swept the ground as his victory celebration. Many production celebrations have followed aboard the Yamaha.
It goes without saying, that Rossi’s accomplishments have been legion. But to finish this first part in the series covering his Yamaha years, consider that his first year with the brand saw him continue to enter the record books. Having sealed up his fourth crown in a row, the first with Yamaha, meant he joined a short but illustrious list of riders who had accomplished one plus three titles in consecutive years; Ago, Hailwood, and Doohan. Winning on different brands was the more amazing point of note, joining such names as Geoff Duke, Giacomo, and Eddie Lawson; Lawson & Rossi being the only two to have done this during consecutive seasons. And this was just his first year on a Yamaha.
Valentino won at the following rounds in 2004: RSA, ITA, CAT, NED, GBR, POR, MAL, AUS, & VAL. 9 wins, two DNFs (BRA & QAT). An interesting note is that only twice did Rossi podium while not scoring the win, which were 2nd places at CZE & JPN. The rest of his placements were either 4th or DNFs.
In 2005… (meter at 130)
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