So you guys still believe that Marc and Alex didn't know in November that Alex was going to LCR in 2021? That's cute.
Oh absolutely, I'm just pissed about which side of the garage he is going to. I know Nakagami brings a sponsor to the table but I believe David Emmett mentioned that Idemitsu got a hell of a deal on the title sponsorship and the ride is mostly subsidized by HRC. If HRC is subsidizing both of those bikes, one would think they'd at least keep the guy they are getting the most ROI from in terms of results and being a testing mule.
I'm surprised that anyone is surprised about how Honda treats anybody not named Marc Marquez. Pedrosa anyone? And Honda wanted a Japanese rider in MotoGP. Why wouldn't they?
He was Honda's Puig's Golden Boy back in the day. The proper response is actually "Nicky Hayden anyone?"
If I remember correctly, wasn't Rossi even a good bit disenchanted with Honda by the time he left? I've always gotten the feeling that everyone employed by Honda is just a tool quantified by a number. And the rider is treated as such. Gonna say Marquez only gets the treatment he does because his ROI is so high. Guarantee the moment he isn't sweeping championships, he starts getting the same treatment as everyone else.
That’s a lot more nuanced than it seems. If Pedrosa were still on his previous form, no one would have been kicking him anywhere regardless of what Puig thought. By Dani’s falling results after the Michelin switch, anyone would have been looking to show him the door. Cal was making a lot of noises about retiring. Sure he’s the only one who can ride their pig at all besides Marquez, but he’s getting long in the tooth. Why lose a Japanese rider for a dude who’s only going to stay a year more tops?
Alex is still a 2 time world champion. I'm not sure what about that can be considered "spoon fed". It'll be interesting to see if their repair bills go up or down with the rider swap. Crutchlow certainly set the bar high
How often does Honda not have a Japanese rider in the premier class? Cal was done at LCR the moment Alex signed. It was either going to be factory or out in 2021, unless Nakagami suddenly started producing podium finishes this year and got the factory seat. I did, months ago. Guarantee that Alex has a ride for the next two years, and Marc's loyalty goes up one notch. I didn't predict that he would sign for four years, but that certainly confirmed (in my mind) my theory.
https://twitter.com/gavinemmett/status/1283462098094301186 Just confirmed by @ValeYellow46 in his media debrief that he wants to continue, has informed Yamaha and is 99% sure of deal with @sepangracing in 2021. Boom.
99%? So there's a 1% chance Rossi goes to Ducati next year in place of Dovi sitting one out. One off year, Rossi fires it to the top of the box, and wins the 'ship. Dovi get's shit canned, Rossi Mic drops on his way out, and thousands of Uchio's jerk themselves into dehydration.