MOTOGP » The 2008 was not here...

I didn't say Rossi was insane nor that the Michelin weren't **** at times.What I have said and I think Weber is implying is that Rossi lost his confidence through the season and didn't do what Rossi normally does and ride through it and try to fix it. He threw in the towel mentally. Once his mind was set that it was tyres he never got passed it. Pedrosa did and look at his result in the last part of the season. I honestly believe if Rossi faced the same bike tyre situation with his 2004 mindset he would have challenged Stoner more often. Rossi was so awesome because his mind was stronger than everyone else.If he gets this back he will be awesome again despite bike/tyres because he is Rossi!

You forget that in 2006 there were already issues with his Michelins, losing a chunk of a front tyre doesn't help
in trusting them. Without confidence it is hard to race. It is not solely something that has to do with the change in tyre rules, his reasoning was that there were mounting difficulties in the communication with Michelin in the last seasons.

I agree Mourgue, remember Rossi took the Yamaha 04 to wc when everyone gave up on it not only is he mentally drained after countless request to Michelin and no improvement regardless of track record of past, we are in a new era 800cc not 990cc which they had plenty of data. it's a clean slate now and Brigdestone came out on top with a better tire. Did mixing rubber, overnite tires delivery cloud their true abilities to create a tire that last hinder them? As it looks it did they relied to much on 990 data and never made an attempt to prepare for what came next the 800cc, different monsterIf Rossi can do that with the 04 model he can do it with the 800cc. he's isolated himself and team

to concentrate without any interference from other inputs it's on him to develop
the 08 model. What will you say then, with that said if he leaves the youngins will have something to work with and it will be on them to take the 800 to another level

The whole tyre dispute was blown up really, Rossi was not the only one to get preferencial treatment, in fact in 2006
they backed Hayden quite heavily in his run to the title. Nobody forbade other factories too fly in new stuff so it was
in compliance with the rules. In 2007 Michelin suffered because of the change, that they now have to reorganize, expand and hire new people to get up to par speaks volumes about the situation before that. let's hope they can get there again.
It takes a different kind of rider to develop a bike, I remember Hayden plowing through truckloads of equipment in '06 and admitting sometimes to be at a loss. You have to be able to analyze and give direction.

thanks for the welcome from Calvin
If rossi wanted the change, as he did- he wouldve made that choice both from experience, and a strong drive to do it - not to put up with the crap /, regardless of where it will take him. he wants different results - so will not repeat the same combination.
what is amazing about rossi - is the the guts to do it wherever he is in the championship ( eg. honda-->switch to yamaha )and put everything at stake as it appears on the outside.
if anything - the analysis of his bridgestone-move will bring much more clarity to the impact/influence of the tyres in the last 2 seasons , and that no other rider can contribute that way

Weber's comments seem perfectly reasonable.
Michelin supplied Rossi for years with the very very best tyres.
That's a big reason why Rossi won the championships he did.
One poorer year for Michelin, Rossi jumps ship, no loyalty at all.
Morgue - he ISN'T the biggest fish anymore. He's getting beat, regular.
Bridgestone don't want Rossi - they only agreed to stop it becoming a one tyre series.
Rossi (& his fans) still think he is The Man. He isn't.
Rossi can't get his head around the fact that there are now faster guys than him, so knee-jerk reaction is to blame the tyres, bike, anything other than himself. This is what Weber means - the problems of self-denial are purely in his head.

He is getting beat because he's on a crap package,
you don't lose your racing skills overnight.
His move to Bridgestones is a bold one and he makes no friends with it (just like quitting Honda)
but I can understand he doesn't want to risk another year on mediocre stuff.
We will see what comes of it in a short time, looking forward to the Jerez test

No Morgue, he's getting beat because he isn't the force he was.
Nothing wrong in this - racing would be boring if one person dominated for an extended period of time.
There are younger, faster guys who are stepping up to the plate and elbowing Rossi aside. Exactly as it should be.

I think that the Bridgestones were the surprise performer of the year, and thos ethat took the gamble reaped the reward. I don't remember them being as good in previous years, and didn't one blow out on a Kawasaki?

Ducati being on Bridgestones for longer benefitted more than those just arriving obviously, but you have to say that the Gresini bikes, especially Melandri's, without the newest Honda parts put up a good show against the factory Honda's and some of that had to be down to tyres.

Whether they make a similar leap forward in 2008 is anyone's guess. Maybe Michelin will make the leap, they certainly need to. Rossi's gamble is just that, a gamble. We'll see what happens.