Before BStone got the spec deal Rossi was pretty loyal to Michelin and Stoner to BStone. And in those days BStone at many, many tracks had the better tire. Anybody remember Nicky at Laguna one year where he had a Michelin front rain on in practice because the slicks weren't working?
Thanks for looking this stuff up. And if you look closer Melandri never won a MotoGP championship but Stoner has 2, Marquez has 6, and Rossi has 7.
I remember when Rossi had like 2 DNFs because huge chunks of his tire were falling off during the race.