Will Rossi ever win again?

[Carter Turk]

Local trackday buddies, have bets he will or won't before the season is over.
I didn't put any money down, but feel it's unlikely.
He does seem to do well @ Phillip Is. thou.
At least in the past.
Always cool when the "Grandpa" sticks it to the youngsters or at least shows them a wheel here n there.

[Buffalo Bill]

No chance before retirement, not even a podium.
With Vinales and Quatararo riding the same bike to the podium, he's demoralized. Rossi just ain't young no mo.
Marquez freaked him out, he ain't the same since.
"There are old riders and there are bold riders. But there are no old bold riders."

[80GS1000]

The bigger question in my opinion is how will MotoGP fare once Rossi retires? He has that rare combination of both charisma and world class talent. There are still legions of fans worldwide loyal to #46 whether he is on the podium or deep down on the leaderboard.

Marquez may have the talent and world titles but in terms of personality he'll never match Rossi.

[RichDesmond]

Local trackday buddies, have bets he will or won't before the season is over.
I didn't put any money down, but feel it's unlikely.
He does seem to do well @ Phillip Is. thou.
At least in the past.
Always cool when the "Grandpa" sticks it to the youngsters or at least shows them a wheel here n there.

Not this year, but maybe next, depending on how much better the bike is

The bigger question in my opinion is how will MotoGP fare once Rossi retires? He has that rare combination of both charisma and world class talent. There are still legions of fans worldwide loyal to #46 whether he is on the podium or deep down on the leaderboard.

Marquez may have the talent and world titles but in terms of personality he'll never match Rossi.

Rossi is definitely an anomaly, it’s extremely rare in motorsports for a star to attract large numbers of fans who don’t have a strong interest in the sport itself. There will be a dip in attendance and viewership for sure, but I don’t think it will be that big. Enough riders have developed strong fan bases of their own and some of the more casual Rossi fans have already drifted away, so the impact won’t be huge.

[GregT]

Not this year, but maybe next, depending on how much better the bike is

If the bike's good, he gets out of bed feeling good, it's a track he likes - and enough is riding on it - then. yes, it's possible.

I go back to an obscure bit of F1 car history. BRM - long gone now but very good in their day - got the message in 1960 that the owner would wind the team up if they didn't do better. They were contenders in '61 - and won the World Championship in 1962. Desperate times....
And then we must point to Tiger Woods....

[Nessism]

I'd LOVE to see Rossi win again but I'll be surprised if he does. For one thing Yamaha needs to find a bunch more power for next year; both the Honda's and Ducati's simply walk away from the Yamaha's on the straights these days. Assuming Yamaha closes the gap I think Rossi can post some podiums next year. Anything can happen in racing so never say never. Marquez could crash and bust his leg for all we know. He certainly has had his share of practice get offs. Don't mean to wish ill will on anyone, but it's going to take some luck in Rossi's favor I'm afraid for him to be competitive these days.

[salty_monk]

Quatararo is going to be the next big contender if Yamaha sort out the engine and once he has the maturity (to not make silly spectactular crashes) of some more wins under his belt...

His dirt tracker style riding is somewhat similar to Mark. He seems like he has the same skillset to go beyond the limit of the bike/tyres & get away with it more times than not.

[GS1150Pilot]

Rossi will still be involved, either as a team owner or as a representative for MotoGP, so it's not like his retirement will remove his presence, and his celebrity will take a long time to wane.

[salty_monk]

I think I read somewhere he has an option in place for a team already... He already has teams in lesser competition? (and his training ranch...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Racing_Team_VR46

[GS1150Pilot]

That is super cool!

[Squisher]

Vale! Vale! Vale! Vale!

Oh, sorry. Getting caught up in the moment.

[RichDesmond]

If the bike's good, he gets out of bed feeling good, it's a track he likes ....

Yeah, the track is a big part. Qatar, Assen, Silverstone, Mugello, PI, those would be the ones.

[Carter Turk]

Forgot about the 10 second penalty he got for passing on a waving yellow at Phillip Island in 2003 & still managed to win.
Not that this feat has anything to do with him winning again, but the ability to come back from such odds, shows the magnitude of his talent.

[Buffalo Bill]

Forgot about the 10 second penalty he got for passing on a waving yellow at Phillip Island in 2003 & still managed to win.
Not that this feat has anything to do with him winning again, but the ability to come back from such odds, shows the magnitude of his talent.

His talent 16 years ago…
2019 Yamaha Riders: Vinales_6 podiums, 176 points. Quartararo_5 podiums, 163 points. Rossi_2 podiums, 153 points.
The thing Rossi don't do anymore is take huge risks. The younger riders have each crashed trying to go faster. Rossi has mostly only been crashed into by other riders.
It's the desperate overtaking risks by Marquez that have scared Rossi, he won't even continue a practice lap if Marquez is riding close behind him.

[GregT]

His talent 16 years ago…
2019 Yamaha Riders: Vinales_6 podiums, 176 points. Quartararo_5 podiums, 163 points. Rossi_2 podiums, 153 points.
The thing Rossi don't do anymore is take huge risks. The younger riders have each crashed trying to go faster. Rossi has mostly only been crashed into by other riders.
It's the desperate overtaking risks by Marquez that have scared Rossi, he won't even continue a practice lap if Marquez is riding close behind him.

A lot of that is the current front rubber. When they changed from Bridgestone to Michelin, the chances of losing the front increased exponentially.
If Michelin can produce a front which gives Bridgestone levels of feel and grip, Marquez will come back to the pack's reach.