To clarify in earlier posts....
I was talking about Gobert, not Yates, but was not aware he had left Yamaha...oops.
As for Yamaha and superbike.....I was talking with our Yamaha rep and basically as we have stated above the money just isn't there. They pour more $$ at MotoGP than you can imagine. Also with Yamaha being so diverse in the numerous products they offer you have to choose your market and where you want to focus. Our rep told me they are getting back into the "sled" (snowmobiles) this year and spending more money there, where they have in the past years not really focuses at all. They feel they can really ramp up the Yamaha name there.....of course does not do a lot for the 2 wheel side of things.
I feel it will be a pretty exciting year......the new R6, LE R1 and the new changes on the GSX-R 600 should be fun to watch.
As for Mladin owning superbike....yes he definetely dominates, but I can't wait to watch Spies this year. Last year being his first on the 1000 he showed what he can do and his abilities on the bigger bike. I hope to Spies even more competitive next year and possibly go for the championship!