When Valentino Rossi traded his Honda for Yamaha, he left the bike with him in three consecutive championships for the workforce in a barren run of 12 years.
It was an enormous threat, but it surely was a redefine of MotoGP historical past. Honda didn’t permit Rossi to check the brand new Yamaha bike till the most recent alternative earlier than the 2004 season.
That wasn’t an issue. Rossi grew to become the primary rider since Eddie Lawson within the Premier class, profitable consecutive championships on varied bikes.
Yamaha’s teammates did not suppose Valentino Rossi would win.
Carlos Checca was his first teammate at Yamaha. This can be a largely forgotten partnership, the size of Rossi’s tenure and the volatility he shared with different teammates, particularly Jorge Lorenzo.
Checca, who got here in seventh in 2004 after his new teammate was hit by the title, admits that Rossi was stunned to see his Yamaha bike falling from obscurity to glory.
“I did not consider Valentino might win at Yamaha.
“For me, I believe I fell asleep a bit when I discovered the restrictions on my bike, in order that was additionally a lesson.
“Valentino arrived with vitality at his best moments.”
Rossi is now synonymous along with his time at Yamaha. The magnitude of the chance he took after leaving Honda might be neglected.
Chekka stated: “I believe it is revenge for him: “I believe I am going to win as a result of I’ve a Honda?”
“Yamaha labored so much too. He began making dramatic modifications.”
Checca is now pleased with the small function he performed on Rossi’s lengthy checklist of success. As a teammate who has been in the identical storage for a 12 months, Checca helped Rossi develop his new and better bicycle.
“We did lots of work on bikes, I believe we did an unbelievable job at Yamaha, however the next 12 months they needed to construct a brand new bike and return to the previous ones.
When Lorenzo was his teammate, Rossi requested a wall separating Yamaha’s storage, however Checca had no such points.
“He was very clear as we noticed him,” remembers the Spaniard.
“It is very aggressive. He had an enormous quantity of abilities and most significantly psychological administration.
“He was one other man I needed to be taught.
“I’ve an distinctive relationship with him. It was an important alternative to share my storage, experiences, moments and work with top-of-the-line riders ever existed.”
