How Valentino Rossi’s move to Yamaha changed MotoGP forever
- Silvia Cojocaru
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
Written by Silvia Cojocaru, Edited by Charlotte Mui
Beyond his impressive stats and achievements that inspired an entire generation of racers, an early decision in Valentino Rossi’s career helped further cement his status as a legend in motorcycle racing.
For many, Rossi’s name may be synonymous with the Yamaha brand, the team with which he won four world titles. However, from 2001 to 2003, the Italian had already found success with Honda, a team which, in the early 2000s, was regarded as one of the strongest on the grid.
Considering that it’s not often a gifted rider like Rossi gets a proper bike early on in his career, giving up on the opportunity of signing with Honda for another season after having just won the championship was perceived as an insane gamble.
While Rossi’s relationship with Honda had its hardships, it was actually the team’s greatest strength that turned Rossi away; despite winning consistently, the top-quality bike began to feel like a burden for the Italian.
In his 2005 autobiography, ‘What if I had never tried it’, Rossi explains: “When you arrive at a track knowing that your only option is to win and, on top of that, when you do win, your victory will be viewed as totally normal, par for the course, because you had the better bike…well, this simply disgusted me.
“I myself had started becoming slightly paranoid.”
Rossi’s aim wasn’t simply to win another title, but to prove to the entire world that it was the rider, and not the machine, that made the difference on track.
In his autobiography, Rossi also reflects on his decision to sign with Yamaha: “I chose Yamaha, a team which was in serious difficulty, which only made the challenge that much greater. This wasn’t just about winning another title, it was about resentment and pride, rancour and honour. I knew that the 2004 season could put an end to an entirely different issue and therefore there was so much more pressure. I knew if I could win right away, with a Yamaha, in my first season, it would change the face of motorcycling forever.”
Therefore, before the 2004 MotoGP season, one of the most significant contracts in racing history was signed.
At the time nobody, including Rossi himself, could predict the success that would follow.
The Italian was asking a lot from the team ahead of his debut with them in South Africa—more specifically, he wanted a bike that could win right away. Rossi knew that this demand would likely be impossible, and even after testing the bike, he was unsure of its abilities to compete for a championship.
Still, the entire world was proven wrong when, at the end of the season, Rossi won the same number of races with Yamaha as he did with Honda the previous year, securing the championship in his first season on the Yamaha M1 model.
Looking back on his win at Welkom, Rossi mentions in his autobiography: “I remember well the conventional wisdom among the riders: ‘If you want to win, you need a Honda.’
“And I remembered all those who insisted that leaving Honda for Yamaha was crazy, a hopeless choice, an impossible challenge with no chance of success. And I also remember what the engineers told me. They insisted that a great racing department, like Honda’s, could create and develop an exceptional bike even without input from the rider.
“Well, from that moment on, this was no longer true.”
It was through Rossi’s input and many hours of testing on the YZR M1 2004 that the team was able to fix, and in many ways completely transform, the bike that they had before the start of the season.
For fans of the sport, watching Rossi take on a new challenge provided great entertainment and gave birth to some of the most iconic rivalries the sport has seen. Meanwhile, an entire generation of racers grew up with Rossi as their idol—someone who is not afraid to take risks both on and off the track.
So, even if you were too young to remember the shocking news of Rossi’s move yourself, some of your favourite riders might have been inspired by the man who proved that anything is possible.
Looking at MotoGP now, do you feel that riders need the best machines in order to win, or is their talent and hard work enough to take any bike to new heights?
Rossi is realy genius compare marquez, he succes bringed weak team yamaha to be stronger & dominated motto gp few years