Rossi grumbling

[GAMBLER]

BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Rossi unhappy with Yamaha effort

Rossi unhappy with Yamaha effort



Valentino Rossi has issued an ultimatum to his Yamaha team after missing out on the MotoGP crown for a second season.


He was second fastest in qualifying for Sunday's Australian MotoGP, with Honda's Dani Pedrosa on pole and 2007 title-winner Casey Stoner in third.
Five-time champion Rossi said: "Yamaha have to show me something now, make a good bike for 2008. If nothing changes, I can look for another opportunity."

Rossi's contract with Yamaha runs out after the 2008 season.
The 28-year-old won the MotoGP crown every year from 2001 to 2005, three times with Honda and twice with Yamaha.
He added: "I gave a lot of success to Yamaha in these past years, now I wait for something from them.

"If we want to win the title again then we need the people in Japan to put in more effort. We need to be more aggressive and brave in the development decisions."


Saturday's qualifying session at Phillip Island saw Pedrosa clock one min 29.201 sec, 0.218 faster than Rossi.

Home hero Stoner, who won the title two weeks ago in Japan, was 0.615 off the pace, third-fastest on his Ducati.

Pedrosa's time was two-tenths of a second slower than the lap record set last year by American Nicky Hayden.

Hayden, who claimed the world title in 2006, will start from fourth on his Honda.

It was the third pole of the season for Pedrosa, currently third in the standings behind Stoner and Rossi.
Australian MotoGP qualfying:
1. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 1min 29.201sec
2. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +0.218
3. Casey Stoner (Aus) Ducati +0.615
4. Nicky Hayden (US) Honda +0.731
5. Loris Capirossi (Ita) Ducati +0.889
6. Randy De Puniet (Fra) Kawasaki +0.909
7. Alex Barros (Bra) Ducati +1.124
8. Shinya Nakano (Jap) Honda +1.411
9. Slyvain Guintoli (Fra) Yamaha +1.420
10. Anthony West (Aus) Kawasaki +1.448

[dj_wawa]

V4!!!

*ducks and covers*

[Old Baldy]

Put him on the Kawasaki...it seems to be more competitive than the M1 these days...

[Jami6989]

Nah, he doesn't regret signing to ride that shitbox.

Rossi=

[XFBO]

And where will he go?

It doesnt really look like Ducati wants him and I dont see Honda and him getting back together.....

Maybe he needs to stop putting so much pressure on Yamaha and realize other ppl are just getting faster these past two yrs.

[Jami6989]

Originally Posted by XFBO

And where will he go?

WorldSBK to further torture Biaggi?

[GAMBLER]

AMA

[GAMBLER]

WERA sandbagger

[mgifracing]

If Rossi didn't get a top level offer he would go drive 4 wheels. I for one will hate the day The Doctor gives up two wheels. I will agree that the competition has gotten faster.

[Latebraker]

Jesus Christ, it's Max Biaggi all over again. Somebody call the Whaaambulance.

[Busy Little Shop]

Originally Posted by GAMBLER

"If we want to win the title again then we need the people in Japan to put in more effort. We need to be more aggressive and brave in the development decisions."

Well Mr. Valentino Rossi... Yamaha stayed closed to their product line by
sticking with the I4 and I'm afraid sticking with the old is wasting your
future...

Let's see... Yamaha re invented the I4 with a irregular firing order... spun the
crankshaft backwards... moved the cam gear drive form the side to up and
over the top... all this complexity just to match the simple V4...

[Old Baldy]

Unfortunately, the motor had less to do with the results these days....compared to TIRES and engine management software.

Rossi and the Yamaha I4 still consistently beats every Japanese V4 out there....but he has little chance against the Bridgestones.


And ANYONE who thinks that Rossi is not by FAR the best racer, is delirious. Put Rossi on the Desmocedici on Bridgestones and he'd lap half the field and even Casey would not stand a chance.

[Busy Little Shop]

Originally Posted by Old Baldy

Unfortunately, the motor had less to do with the results these days....compared to TIRES and engine management software.

Rossi and the Yamaha I4 still consistently beats every Japanese V4 out there....but he has little chance against the Bridgestones.


And ANYONE who thinks that Rossi is not by FAR the best racer, is delirious. Put Rossi on the Desmocedici on Bridgestones and he'd lap half the field and even Casey would not stand a chance.

Rossi ain't asking for better tires or some wonder software... he
asking for some new decisions in Yamaha's development...

Rossi is by far the best I4 racer... like who else brings the old
engine architect consistently to the podium??? but maybe he's tired of
riding his ass off for second...

[Latebraker]

What I find funny is that the V4 Suzuki is now getting it's ass beat by the lowly Kawasaki I4, and thats with second tier riders on the Kawi's.

Hopkins will finally get the chance to win a race when he switches to Kawasaki, who would have believed that.

[Latebraker]

Originally Posted by Old Baldy

Unfortunately, the motor had less to do with the results these days....compared to TIRES and engine management software.

Rossi and the Yamaha I4 still consistently beats every Japanese V4 out there....but he has little chance against the Bridgestones.


And ANYONE who thinks that Rossi is not by FAR the best racer, is delirious. Put Rossi on the Desmocedici on Bridgestones and he'd lap half the field and even Casey would not stand a chance.

Bullshit, all Rossi's smacktalking last year about Stoner motivated the kid to kick Rossi's ass every chance he gets.

After Hayden crumbled Rossi last year at Valencia every rider on the grid knows that Rossi can be folded. Wayne Rainey would have mentally destroyed Rossi if they were racing in the same era.

[GoodKnight]

Originally Posted by Latebraker

Bullshit, all Rossi's smacktalking last year about Stoner motivated the kid to kick Rossi's ass every chance he gets.

After Hayden crumbled Rossi last year at Valencia every rider on the grid knows that Rossi can be folded. Wayne Rainey would have mentally destroyed Rossi if they were racing in the same era.

Couldnt have said it any better myself.

[Still SP3]

Originally Posted by Old Baldy

And ANYONE who thinks that Rossi is not by FAR the best racer, is delirious. Put Rossi on the Desmocedici on Bridgestones and he'd lap half the field and even Casey would not stand a chance.

What's your point? He had the chance to sign and did not. The reason(s) for his decision to spurn Ducati doesn't matter only that he has now had his ass handed to him by the very combination he could have had. In other words, he made his bed .....

[wdavis009]

Not sure what the controversy is. The Yamaha package is not as competitive as it needs to be for him to win the title. So, since he wants to win the title and has enormous influence at Yamaha (he is the only reason they have won anything in the past 4 years afterall), he let them know that if they don't improve the package he will switch to a different team in '09. I suspect if that doesn't motivate the engineers in Japan nothing will. That's what any racer (who had the influence to do so) would do, whether it be Rossi, Pedrosa, Stoner, Melandri, Hopkins, etc. I could be wrong, but I suspect every factory team, except perhaps for Honda, would bend over backwards to have him on their team, even if it meant running an extra bike.

[wdavis009]

Originally Posted by Latebraker

Bullshit, all Rossi's smacktalking last year about Stoner motivated the kid to kick Rossi's ass every chance he gets.

What smack talking? From everything I have seen Rossi and Casey have a lot of respect for each other and enjoy racing each other.

[XFBO]

I think the smacktalking they're referring to were the remarks Rossi and several others had made in reference to Stoner being somewhat dangerous. IIRC, they all thought he was a potential missle and were terrified to be anywhere near him.

As for OB's remarks, I completely disagree with most of it. If tires were the only factor limiting Rossi's performance then he would had cleaned house during QP, he didnt......but another Michelin rider sure as hell did. Now you can argue by saying Honda is the better built/faster bike but the majority of FP's this season seem to say otherwise.

Ive said it a million times, if it were JUST THE BIKE then I suppose the same holds true in Rossi's early yrs with Honda when he had nothing but the best of everything??????...............Or maybe not for the Rossi die hard fans?