Logic dictates that if one of the bikes is better, then the other is not better. Sure, you argued that Rossi wasn't getting parts as quickly as Lorenzo, but it all comes down to the same thing. You believed that Lorenzo had the better bike come race day, and that was affecting Rossi's chance to be competitive. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, or that you didn't say what I just quoted you as saying...
And I applaud your optimism! I've said it before, and I'll say it again,
I want Rossi to be competitive and to do well! I'd love to see him get another championship before he retires. All I have said this entire thread is that it's far too early in the game to go about making claims that Rossi is "back". By back, I mean a consistent showing, or at least battling to be, in the top 3. If he can do that over the course of the season I'll happily agree with the argument. Until then, I'm not going to extrapolate anything based off one single race. It would be no different for somebody to come on the forums and say that Lorenzo has no shot at a championship due to his crash yesterday. It's nonsense without more DATA!
I don't disagree with the fact that the Ducati is a shitty bike. The results for multiple riders prove it. I was only pointing out that it is an excuse made by Rossi fanboys who tout his legendary ability of taking a losing bike and making it a winner. When the news came down that Crutchlow was moving to Ducati for this season I cringed. I almost feel like the bike, in it's current iteration, is a career killer.
Any researcher knows that
objective analysis requires much more information than the results of a single podium. Testing and qualifying are great indicators, I agree, but they are not guarantees of victories or podiums because they strip out the critical variable of racing. Until Rossi can prove he's capable of consistent podiums, he is a long shot away from being "back".
No cop-outs indeed!
Had Rossi been able to go out there last season and battle it out with Lorenzo, then he'd have had just as much of a shot taking the championship as Jorge did! Something I highly doubt Yamaha execs would lose any sleep over. You're probably right, though, If I were Yamaha I'd much rather have my riders in a 2 & 4 standing than a 1 & 2, 1 & 3, or even a 2 & 3. It makes perfect sense not to want to beat Honda!