Quote:
Originally Posted by 247
Do you not remember reading tests of the Yamaha and the Honda back then? If memory serves the Honda was more stable, more powerful and easier to ride.
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The real point is that what's "better" for you, me, an ex racer, a bike journalist, an experienced MotoGP bike tester or a MotoGP rider is
not necessarily better for Rossi. I certainly buy the argument that the Honda was a bike that was more user friendly and generally easier to ride fast than the Yamaha but the real question is was it
"better" than the Yamaha for Rossi and his style/level of ability? That's the real question and the only one that counts when discussing which bike is better than the other. I personally don't believe so. In 2002, the year that the 4-strokes were introduced, Rossi won the title by 140 points on a Honda against a field that consisted mostly of 2-stroke 500s. in 2003, Rossi and Honda beat Gibernau and Honda by only 80 points. In his first year on the Yamaha in 2004, Rossi took the title by 47 points.
In 2005, Rossi and Yamaha defeated Honda and the rest of the field by the largest margin of his career in the premier class: 147 points.
In 2005, the result of the combination of Rossi/Yamaha/Michelin, Burgess was essentially the same as this year's combination of Stoner/Ducati/Bridgestone except that in 2005 Rossi won the title by a greater margin than Stoner can this year. [Even if Rossi fails to finish the final two races and Stoner wins them both, the margin will only be 142 points.]