2018 MOTOGP Season ****SPOILER ALERT*** *****WARNING - SPOILER *******

[madvlad]

Yeah while it is a hard situation for Yamaha but again if they knew that this time was going to come then why even bother signing Rossi until 2020? Perhaps they should have just moved on from him which I am sure he would have been fine with if they would have just stated that they were looking to develop the bike around a younger prospect and shoot for the future. Another thing that makes me question Yamaha quite a bit is that if your riders have a chance at winning races/titles why not do everything possible to help them achieve it, instead of playing that bs presidential compliance game.

As a factory whenever you sign a rider, it will always be a gamble, hell look at what happened with Lorenzo and Ducati, they threw insane money his way on both contract and R&R and ended in technically nothing but Dovi outperforming him for the most part. You have to pay to play as they say and if developing the bike a bit better around a certain rider in this case Rossi, can give him a chance to win, it is a win win for both the rider and manufacturer, don't see how doing what they're doing now is beneficial at all.

Back when Lorenzo came in and when Rossi had developed the M1, Yamaha lucked out because both riders fit the bike nearly perfectly but that won't always be the case. Rossi and Mav ride that M1 absolutely differently and that's where I agree with you on the HRC move on developing the bike for the rider and rider alone as it should be anyways, each rider differs too much and they need certain settings and parts to be specifically tailored to their riding needs as the season goes on, again makes no sense to me that Yamaha signed Rossi for 2 more years just out of maybe sympathy? Maybe they want to keep him at bay cause they didn't want to jeopardize their future after GP plans with Rossi as a rider coach/developer? Yamaha makes too much money off his name alone just cause he rides for them so I'm sure that probably had something to do with it and what not but still bs that they have to treat it that way, that's the part of the politics in anything that sucks major ass. Would have rather had Yamaha cut ties as a rider and been straight up with him instead of making him look like a fool but what's funny is that even on a broken down bike he still manages to deliver results 9/10 times unlike Maverick, can't beat his experience whether people like to admit it or not and just the race in Sepang shows how dedicated he still is to this sport, it is unreal that Yamaha took this long to deliver answers, maybe they were hoping he would take the bait and opt out of his contract? I don't know... it's all speculation at this point but it does make you wonder.

Marquez is having the time of his life and well he might as well enjoy it while it lasts. He has also lucked out that he has steered clear of any major injuries but with as much as he's pushing, not sure how much longer it will be until his luck runs out (no, I'm not wishing anything bad upon the guy whatsoever but anyone who understands this sport knows what I'm talking about). Which also brings the questions such as, how will he do when shit does hit the fan and he struggles for the first time in a while? What if he decides to switch rides at some point past 2020? I mean I am sure HRC wants to keep him forever since he's killing it for them but I'm sure as a rider he's after Rossi's records and everything he has done to knotch his name above Rossi even though that will never happen even if he surpasses the records and such. Just the fact that Rossi rode in multiple bikes and in different eras and was successful through most of it except with this Ducati stint cause well let's not lie to each other, nobody but Stoner was able to figure that POS bike out, even Lorenzo would have probably struggled worse than Rossi did if that bike had remained in that same level when he switched, Ducati at that point was beyond saving and guess Rossi thought they would listen to him like Yamaha did but well we all know how that went... While Marquez is close to the records and all of that but again to me it's the fact that he hasn't really been tested and came into an amazing bike just like Lorenzo and is reaping the rewards without the workhorse work. Ultimately for me it will come down to a few years from now when perhaps technologies and bikes change and he has to make drastic adjustments and if he perhaps remains successful then I will retract my words but until then, Rossi and Agostini remain in a league of their own based on their achievements on insanely different machinery in dire comparison to what he rides today and how much electronics keep him on the seat.

I'm sure Rossi will try to give it his all this upcoming year and if so both years if things go well next season and he doesn't opt out of his last year. I'm sure Yamaha is licking their chops with all of the upcoming talent from moto3-2 and also with the Petronas SIC team coming up in which those two riders also pose a threat to more Maverick than Rossi of course, however it is up to Maverick to attempt to ride around the problem instead of playing the victim aka Lorenzo card. That's another thing you have to admire about Rossi, he encounters problems, he looks for answers, not excuses and delivers 9/10.

Lorenzo's comment was rather surprising and still is, maybe this stint at Ducati has shown him that he is not impervious and he is more vulnerable than ever. Had to take a huge paycut for HRC to even consider him as well and get a mouthful of humility to remain in the paddock. He is a rider of great skill, no doubt about that but his lack of respect and no shortage of excuses is what bothers me about that guy, hell the fact that he blamed Marquez for his current condition is absolute dog shit

All in all many questions and thoughts arise in this subject just due to all the moving parts but next season will prove to see if Yamaha is truly trying or if they are just playing boss in their cubicle and hoping things sort themselves out aka Rossi leaves earlier so they can focus on the future. Only time will tell... for the time being grandpa Rossi is shutting some mouths up still and oh in what ways.

[The Black Knight]

Yeah while it is a hard situation for Yamaha but again if they knew that this time was going to come then why even bother signing Rossi until 2020? Perhaps they should have just moved on from him which I am sure he would have been fine with if they would have just stated that they were looking to develop the bike around a younger prospect and shoot for the future. Another thing that makes me question Yamaha quite a bit is that if your riders have a chance at winning races/titles why not do everything possible to help them achieve it, instead of playing that bs presidential compliance game.

As a factory whenever you sign a rider, it will always be a gamble, hell look at what happened with Lorenzo and Ducati, they threw insane money his way on both contract and R&R and ended in technically nothing but Dovi outperforming him for the most part. You have to pay to play as they say and if developing the bike a bit better around a certain rider in this case Rossi, can give him a chance to win, it is a win win for both the rider and manufacturer, don't see how doing what they're doing now is beneficial at all.

Back when Lorenzo came in and when Rossi had developed the M1, Yamaha lucked out because both riders fit the bike nearly perfectly but that won't always be the case. Rossi and Mav ride that M1 absolutely differently and that's where I agree with you on the HRC move on developing the bike for the rider and rider alone as it should be anyways, each rider differs too much and they need certain settings and parts to be specifically tailored to their riding needs as the season goes on, again makes no sense to me that Yamaha signed Rossi for 2 more years just out of maybe sympathy? Maybe they want to keep him at bay cause they didn't want to jeopardize their future after GP plans with Rossi as a rider coach/developer? Yamaha makes too much money off his name alone just cause he rides for them so I'm sure that probably had something to do with it and what not but still bs that they have to treat it that way, that's the part of the politics in anything that sucks major ass. Would have rather had Yamaha cut ties as a rider and been straight up with him instead of making him look like a fool but what's funny is that even on a broken down bike he still manages to deliver results 9/10 times unlike Maverick, can't beat his experience whether people like to admit it or not and just the race in Sepang shows how dedicated he still is to this sport, it is unreal that Yamaha took this long to deliver answers, maybe they were hoping he would take the bait and opt out of his contract? I don't know... it's all speculation at this point but it does make you wonder.

Marquez is having the time of his life and well he might as well enjoy it while it lasts. He has also lucked out that he has steered clear of any major injuries but with as much as he's pushing, not sure how much longer it will be until his luck runs out (no, I'm not wishing anything bad upon the guy whatsoever but anyone who understands this sport knows what I'm talking about). Which also brings the questions such as, how will he do when shit does hit the fan and he struggles for the first time in a while? What if he decides to switch rides at some point past 2020? I mean I am sure HRC wants to keep him forever since he's killing it for them but I'm sure as a rider he's after Rossi's records and everything he has done to knotch his name above Rossi even though that will never happen even if he surpasses the records and such. Just the fact that Rossi rode in multiple bikes and in different eras and was successful through most of it except with this Ducati stint cause well let's not lie to each other, nobody but Stoner was able to figure that POS bike out, even Lorenzo would have probably struggled worse than Rossi did if that bike had remained in that same level when he switched, Ducati at that point was beyond saving and guess Rossi thought they would listen to him like Yamaha did but well we all know how that went... While Marquez is close to the records and all of that but again to me it's the fact that he hasn't really been tested and came into an amazing bike just like Lorenzo and is reaping the rewards without the workhorse work. Ultimately for me it will come down to a few years from now when perhaps technologies and bikes change and he has to make drastic adjustments and if he perhaps remains successful then I will retract my words but until then, Rossi and Agostini remain in a league of their own based on their achievements on insanely different machinery in dire comparison to what he rides today and how much electronics keep him on the seat.

I'm sure Rossi will try to give it his all this upcoming year and if so both years if things go well next season and he doesn't opt out of his last year. I'm sure Yamaha is licking their chops with all of the upcoming talent from moto3-2 and also with the Petronas SIC team coming up in which those two riders also pose a threat to more Maverick than Rossi of course, however it is up to Maverick to attempt to ride around the problem instead of playing the victim aka Lorenzo card. That's another thing you have to admire about Rossi, he encounters problems, he looks for answers, not excuses and delivers 9/10.

Lorenzo's comment was rather surprising and still is, maybe this stint at Ducati has shown him that he is not impervious and he is more vulnerable than ever. Had to take a huge paycut for HRC to even consider him as well and get a mouthful of humility to remain in the paddock. He is a rider of great skill, no doubt about that but his lack of respect and no shortage of excuses is what bothers me about that guy, hell the fact that he blamed Marquez for his current condition is absolute dog shit

All in all many questions and thoughts arise in this subject just due to all the moving parts but next season will prove to see if Yamaha is truly trying or if they are just playing boss in their cubicle and hoping things sort themselves out aka Rossi leaves earlier so they can focus on the future. Only time will tell... for the time being grandpa Rossi is shutting some mouths up still and oh in what ways.

I think for Lorenzo, he has been humbled a bit with the Ducati. I also think he knows that it's a way different bike than what Rossi had in 11' and 12', and I think he knows that it took him way longer to produce on a bike that was years ahead of the old and more competitive. Basically, Lorenzo walked into a race winning bike with the Ducati(and championship winning bike with Yamaha).

Course everyone says, well Rossi was handed a race winning bike from Stoner. True, but sort of. Stoner didn't win on the 2010 Ducati until the last 4 or 5 races of the 2010 season. For most of the season though, he was in the doldrums like Rossi and Maverick are this year. And anyone objective can't deny that the Ducati was winning less and less after 2007 and 2008. Stoner just couldn't get it to work as well as he did those two years. And he was the only who could ride the Ducati that is for sure.

So I think some of Lorenzo's humility and admiration is that Rossi is the been there, done that kind of guy. He's ridden for multiple manufactures, he's won on different bikes and he's doing so while at 39. So there's a lot to admire.

As to your comments on why Yamaha keep Rossi around. Plain and simple, he makes them money and pulled them out of nowhere when he came back. Remember they didn't even have a main sponsor for 2011, 2012 or 2013. Rossi brought Monster and helped to bring Movistar. He's also done plenty of PR work for them and over in Asia alone, they love Rossi and it has sold tons of Yamaha bikes.

So the easy answer is, Rossi is Yamaha's cash cow and they won't let him go, til he says he's done. I also agree with you, they don't want to ruffle his feathers either as he's surely going to use their bikes for his satellite project if/when it starts. So that's more M1's on the grid.

I do agree with you as well, it is bush-league that they won't develop the bike around one rider. And I can see their plight. If they develop around Vinales, well then they let Rossi flounder and his legacy takes a beating. If they develop around Rossi, then it means they are crapping on their new young gun and he's got an ego to feed as well. So Vinales would get mad and leave. Then everyone would wonder why would you develop around an old guy anyway?

So they are in a tough spot having Rossi around. It's even tougher because he's so competitive and fast. And I think they know if they gave him the perfect bike he'd be even more competitive and maybe even dominant. But that goes back to my point earlier, sure they can give him the bike he wants but then what? He gets his 10th and you know he'll retire after that. So they look at it as, well we won the title again but now we have to start from scratch again.

Myself?? I would give the guy what he needs and see if he really can achieve his former glory and dominance. If he does(and I'm sure he would, at least he'd win more) then they could ride the glory of his success. I'm sure if Rossi won his 10th title with Yamaha, they could ride that wave for a few years while they go back to the drawing board with a new rider to build around. And knowing Yamaha, yeah they would milk that 10th title for a long time.

Look at it this way, if they really did develop the perfect bike for Rossi. Chances are he'd get that 10th title and for sure he'd get the all time win record. If he achieved both(10th + all time wins) then that's just more success to milk and dollar bills coming in.

But I know Yamaha all too well, and they ain't about to do that... They'd rather throw sh*t against the wall and see what sticks...