Quote:
Originally Posted by sqd8r
Rossi like all the greats is a student of history and more importantly conscious of his place in that history. Rossi celebrates every milestone crossed in Moto GP and he knows he's solidified his place in racing by making the switch to Yamaha.
The greatest motivation IMO for Rossi leaving Honda wasn't the challenge as so many seem to think. It was his place in history. Rossi's mentor Mick Doohan to this day suffers from the 'what if he wasn't on a Honda' question despite his multiple world titles gained while enduring career ending injuries. Somehow winning on the winningest manufacturers motorcycle seems to diminish the herculean efforts of these riders despite the fact that the margins for victory are often within 10ths of seconds.
Rossi's switch, akin to Lawson's historic switch back in the day, ensures that Rossi's legacy is not besmirched by similar allegations, which TBH would be credible, for lack of a better word, allegations considering the overall dominance of the V5 in its day. The move to Yamaha was calculated to not only ensure his place in history with more titles but to also ensure that the focus on his place in history would be on the rider not the machine.
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I think I already said that in my post, but in fewer words.
Which was greater, desire to be remotivated or the desire to overcome "it's the bike" argument, only Rossi knows and we can only speculate. He has spoken at length about both. Based on his explanation for staying with Yamaha another 2 years (there are more important things, or equally important things, than results at this point in his career) I wouldn't underestimate the desire to be challenged.