When Valentino Rossi joined Yamaha before the 2004 season, he was already a three-time premier class champion. Since 2001, the sophomore has dominated the sport.
But that didn’t stop him from turning to their Japanese rivals in his championship hat trick with Honda. Yamaha The Cavaliers have not won the title since 1992 when Wayne Rainey won.
In 2003, they finished third in the teams standings, 200 points behind Honda. But Rossi’s belief proved to be correct.
| year | PTS | Runner | GAP |
| In 2001 | 325 | Max Biagi | 106 |
| 2002 | 355 | Max Biagi | 140 |
| In 2003 | 357 | Sete Giberna. | 80 |
| In 2004 | 304 | Sete Giberna. | 47 |
| In 2005 | 367 | Marco Melandri | 147 |
| 2008 | 373 | Casey Stoner | 97 |
| 2009 | 306 | George Lorenzo | 45 |
In 2004 and 2005, Yamaha immediately delivered back-to-back titles with a clean sweep for the second time. After the championships of Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner, Rossi won again in 08 and 09.
last season, George Martin It looked like Rossi, tasting glory for the satellite team. It’s been 23 years since the doctor’s historic success with the Nastro Azzurro Honda team.
But like Rossi, Martin will emerge as a champion. He rejected the factory Ducati bike in favor of Marc Marquez Aprilia.
George Martin could be the ‘champion’ Aprilia lost at Yamaha like Valentino Rossi.
Speaking on Giovanni Zamagni’s YouTube channel, former Yamaha team principal Antonio Jimenez foresees Martin’s move to Aprilia. Jimenez worked with Rossi’s teammate Carlos Checa before moving to Tech3.
Reflecting on the turn of the millennium, Yamaha said it had a ‘good bike’, but not a competitive one. It was Rossi’s arrival that made the difference.
He doubts that too. MotoGP Fans can expect to see a repeat of Aprilia, where Martin can lift the team just like Rossi. Noale’s outfit was the top non-Ducati team last year with 353 points, but finished behind KTM in the constructors’ standings.
Jimenez predicts a lot of success for Martin in his new environment. But Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez admit it will be difficult to stop.
“I’ll just tell you one thing,” Jimenez said. “In 2000 we were Yamaha. The bike was a good bike. We probably lost a champion.
“Valentino came and won the first race on that bike and won the world championship. We lost the rider who made the difference. Maybe the rider who made the difference arrived at Aprilia.
“Like Rossi in 2003, he arrived as world champion. I’m sure he’ll score more wins, more podiums, more poles, then he’ll have to fight with Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.”
Why Alex Espargaro was not convinced by Jorge Martin’s prediction of 2025
Martin In 2025, he said he would not give the title.Amazing fall forecast for the reigning champion. He may have seen Aprilia’s position as an objective assessment.
Ducati are enjoying a reign in MotoGP, winning the last four constructors’ titles. Their biggest challenge may be the rule changes coming in 2027.
But the Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro does not share Martin’s pessimism.. Last season, riding an Aprilia bike, he scored four sprint podiums, including victory in Catalonia.
Aprilia will launch its 2025 competitor on Thursday. They are second on the launch schedule after Trackhouse (January 14).
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