Mat Oxley trying to broach the subject without actually touching the main reason. The comments thou are revealing
?He was already world champion!?
?He was already world champion!?
Mat Oxley trying to broach the subject without actually touching the main reason. The comments thou are revealing
?He was already world champion!?
he's not a coward. nor a ......
and this post not meant to be sarcastic.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Vinales' problems started before the 06 tire: he was using the 06 at Jerez, as I pointed out already, and what happened there? I understand that traction problems are sometimes difficult to separate from tire problems (and electronics problems), but that's clear enough.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Uh J4Rn0, this is the team that chased a triple world champion out the door to Ducati because of Rossi. They would chase down a developmental dead end to please Rossi.
Disagree. Yamaha offered him a contract and he rejected it. Lorenzo may have suffered the situation with Rossi in 2015-16, certainly, so he went for Ducati's $$$, -- just as Rossi had done before. And that's fair enough.
You could as well say that in 2011 Yamaha chased Rossi to please Lorenzo. And that would be wrong as well.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Not just for money Jarno, it was the fact he felt wholly under appreciated at Yamaha, a team he has won 3 titles for in the previous 6 seasons.
Very few people, especially top sports stars, will stay at an employer they feel doesn't value them. Ducati value Lorenzo.
Very few people, especially top sports stars, will stay at an employer they feel doesn't value them. Ducati value Lorenzo.
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Mat Oxley trying to broach the subject without actually touching the main reason. The comments thou are revealing
?He was already world champion!?
Ugh, I struggled to read after the first paragraph...
Clever wording once again to make it look like Rossi has 'broken' yet another team mate....
Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
This place is a case study in, if you say it enough times, it becomes truth.
Your wasting your time J4. These people look at yellow and see red
Not so imo, Lorenzo went from saying he wanted to retire as a Yamaha icon like the other Yamaha triple world champions to out of there in a couple of months, and he doesn't need the money.
Imo Rossi left in 2010 because he felt under-appreciated as well.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Yes and no. Certainly in that time they did, and I feel they were trying to line up a potential replacement for Rossi when he retired, which most probably expected to be much sooner than now. However now, it has been shown repeatedly that both Yamaha and Dorna answer to Rossi. Rossi's draw now is the merchandising and fanbase. After all, it wasn't Yamaha RACING that wanted him back in 2012, it was Yamaha MARKETING.
Another example is not once has there been a mention of Yamaha dropping Rossi. Whenever talk orf retirement comes up it is always on Rossi and Yamaha have inferred that he will have a bike as long as he wants to continue. What would happen if he was running around in the lower echelons of the top 10 and still wanting contract renewals? I expect he'd get them, given his marketing appeal to Yamaha, at the expense of riders like Zarco.
I seriously doubt any other rider would have been propelled back onto a reigning championship Yamaha after the two seasons he had at Ducati.
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
No bike is going to be perfect at every track. Even Marquez struggled at a few in 2014. You simply cannot deny how dominant Vinales was during testing and the start of the season and how mediocre he has been since the tire change. Complete opposite for Marquez and Dovi. Rossi desperately wanted a different tire and used the Yamaha struggle at Jerez to convince Yamaha there was a problem. I’m still waiting for anyone to honestly answer the question, If Rossi won 3 of the first 5 races and had a commanding points lead, would he have demanded tire and chassis changes on the 2017 M1
Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
Obviously not. As an aside I've just watched the pre race conference at Valencia, where was Vinales? Certainly wasn't there, instead they have Rossi in, the man that has basically ...... Vinales at being able to come 2nd in the championship. Seems to me that yamahahaha only care about sales and not getting the best of either Honda or Ducati.
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
Or first in the championship. I believe Marquez and Dovi both would have had much different years without the tir change.
I get that having Rossi on the team is good for the hat and t shirt sales. However, a major bike manufacturer wants to sell bikes. Winning races and world championships furthers that goal.
As long as Rossi is there and the longer he mismanages development, along with further cementing a reputation for not tolerating teammates, the less desirable that second seat will become to new hot talent.
Rossi who? Whaddya done for me lately pal?
As long as Rossi is there and the longer he mismanages development, along with further cementing a reputation for not tolerating teammates, the less desirable that second seat will become to new hot talent.
Rossi who? Whaddya done for me lately pal?
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
It's more to do with the sponsorship he brings and his presence and how that influences ticket sales and gives leverage to Dorna when selling rights to air time. Whilst Rossi technically is not an employee of Dorna - he and his team do get all kinds of commercial considerations from Dorna that favorably affect the team in myriad ways. I don't think MotoGp outcomes really affect the street bike market nearly as much as some would believe. Sales of superbikes have been flat for the last 8 years. I've always believed that MotoGp is more about publicity and prestige, as opposed to just selling more street bikes.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
If you're buying a Yamaha R1 because of Valentino Rossi, my theory is you probably shouldn't be riding a liter bike. Just my two cents personally.
It is probably more a halo effect . He is immensely popular in Asia apparently, and iirc members have posted about frequent sightings of much smaller bikes adorned with Rossi paraphernalia in that part of the world.
They were also struggling for sponsorship in the years he was away. Not much point being a well sponsored also-ran, and I don't imagine they will accept such a situation indefinitely, but they may well have plans to keep Rossi inspired sponsorship of Yamaha going long term, although current talk seems to be of his own team rather than his being the factory team a la Agostini and Roberts.
Joined Sep 2015
734 Posts | 1K+
Office cubicle
My brother's neighbour is a huge Rossi fan, he's aiming to get a motorcycle driving license and plans to get a R1 in 2 years (here you're restricted to a 125cc bike for the first 2 years). Not the brightest fella if you ask me
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
I'm afraid this entire theory would not stand even with a concrete pillar supporting it.
Vinales was brilliant in the season opening with the old tire, but Rossi wasn't that shabby either -- he was always on the podium and came to Europe leading the championship, after all.
Then in Europe both he and Vinales hit the problems at Jerez, a track where Yamahas had always been at the top, and this was before all the changes supposed to have spoiled the M1 "intentionally". In Le mans the two factory Yamahas still dominated. Then in the very first race with new tire, Mugello, Vinales was contending for the win. So...
A key factor has actually been the growth of the competition, namely Honda and Ducati, just as Yamaha's hidden problems came out. Lorenzo has recently said that Honda and Ducati made a step forward during the season, while Yamaha didn't manage it.
Joined Oct 2011
248 Posts | 112+
Adelaide
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