Valentino?

[flatlander_48]

It really surprised me that Valentino would go back to Yamaha. He and Lorenzo parted on such bad terms that I'm amazed that he would go back there. Plus, Lorenzo won the title for Yamaha a couple of years ago, so his stock with them would have to be very high. It's like not only did Rossi choose to walk into the lion's mouth, he also wants to attempt a root canal. In terms of age, Yamaha then will probably be the last team that Rossi rides for. This move may have greater potential to tarnish his legacy rather than polish it...

[OrdinaryRaceFan]

With the lack of competitive bikes on the grid, it was probably the only choice that made sence for him.

Ducati? In 1 and a half year they didn't gain any ground on the top runners.

Satelite Yamaha/Honda? Almost impossible to fight for the win on satelite bikes. Even with a factory spec bike; the factory might not be very keen on seeing you beat its official riders.

CRT? They're just a temporary, artificial fix to make up the numbers, no more.


Today if you want to win you have to be either on factory Honda or factory Yamaha... Only 4 bikes overall.

Honda didn't work out because Rossi had burned bridges in the past. Furthermore, there wasn't much space for him. If Honda wanted Marc Marquez move up to MotoGP, they had to put him in the factory team - due to sponsors/crew issues, and the 4 bikes per manufacturers rule, they couldn't place him on a satelite bike. With a rookie on one bike they pretty much had to retain Dani Pedrosa on the other bike for the sake of continuity - plus I'm sure they weren't very keen on having Dani possibly getting picked by Yamaha.

So Yamaha it is... Battling against Jorge will be an uphill battle for sure, but at this stage of his career, I bet Valentino is just happy to be back on a race winning bike. After all, he might not have so many good years left in him, and he can't afford to be stuck on uncompetitive machineries for many more years.

[flatlander_48]

Actually I think Ducati will be a very different organization very soon. The purchase by Lamborghini should usher in help from them and Audi/VW. I'm not saying that Lamborghini, Audi or VW know anything about motorcycles, but they do hve considerable resources and expertise. I'm looking for a turnaround...

[OrdinaryRaceFan]

Actually I think Ducati will be a very different organization very soon. The purchase by Lamborghini should usher in help from them and Audi/VW. I'm not saying that Lamborghini, Audi or VW know anything about motorcycles, but they do hve considerable resources and expertise. I'm looking for a turnaround...

Good point. But the turnaround, if it ever comes, won't be done in one day.

Meanwhile, Valentino will be on the best bike of the grid from the first race of 2013...