Yamaha GP- Where to now??
Discussion
So with the formal announcement that Petronas is ending their headline sponsorship with SRT, has Yamaha committed suicide in not changing their satellite team model compared to others?
With MotoGP being a game of data driven development, manufactures like Ducati and KTM will have multiple factory spec machines lining up each weekend, obviously becoming a wide stream of data flowing back to the factory. With Pramac and SkyVR46, Ducati could have 6 bikes driving development.
Yamaha however seems to have stuck with the older satellite team lower spec and pays to plays model. So SRT were running slightly lower spec bikes but they look like being downgraded to B Spec due to costs. And with no Moto3 or 2 teams in the satellite team, rider development seems to be a dead end....
Options?
Maybe Yamaha should look at supplying their satellite team full factory spec machines if for no other reason than to expedite development of the factory squad and factory development...
I suspect Yamaha may enter into a wilderness until they wake up to the realities of modern GP class racing.....
Thoughts???
With MotoGP being a game of data driven development, manufactures like Ducati and KTM will have multiple factory spec machines lining up each weekend, obviously becoming a wide stream of data flowing back to the factory. With Pramac and SkyVR46, Ducati could have 6 bikes driving development.
Yamaha however seems to have stuck with the older satellite team lower spec and pays to plays model. So SRT were running slightly lower spec bikes but they look like being downgraded to B Spec due to costs. And with no Moto3 or 2 teams in the satellite team, rider development seems to be a dead end....
Options?
Maybe Yamaha should look at supplying their satellite team full factory spec machines if for no other reason than to expedite development of the factory squad and factory development...
I suspect Yamaha may enter into a wilderness until they wake up to the realities of modern GP class racing.....
Thoughts???
I can remember back in the 80's it seemed that Yamaha would stick a contract under the nose of anyone with a modicum of talent, in '86 6 of the top 7 were on a YZR500.
I completely agree they need a couple of satellite teams to boost their data take but it's fine line between building enough factory spec bikes to provide a consistent data stream and building too many and not being able to react and make changes quickly enough.
When Honda unleashed the big bang engine in '92 Cagiva, a relatively tiny team were the first to respond and it took Yamaha until the 9th round of the championship to bring a big bang engine to the party.
I completely agree they need a couple of satellite teams to boost their data take but it's fine line between building enough factory spec bikes to provide a consistent data stream and building too many and not being able to react and make changes quickly enough.
When Honda unleashed the big bang engine in '92 Cagiva, a relatively tiny team were the first to respond and it took Yamaha until the 9th round of the championship to bring a big bang engine to the party.
I feel that, without the Moto2 & 3 teams, SRT has lost it's raison d'etre, but also it seems it's succeeded at the top whilst failing at the bottom. With decent financial backing the plan was meant to be to bring on Malaysian talent, but not only has that not happened, the talent they've brought to the junior teams haven't progressed in the manner of the Ajo guys, the Moto2 team being particularly anonymous.
The MotoGP team has then been further hobbled by the 'B' spec approach, or at least that's how it seems this year; I don't think it will help Yamaha to develop the bike having two riders on old machines; thinking back, there were times when the Tech3 riders appeared held back on old equipment e.g. Zarco. Having Rossi this year hasn't really fitted in to the ethos of the squad either.
You're picking out Yamaha, but HRC, Suzuki and Aprilia are in the same boat, the sport is a commercial venture to help sell bikes; they're all at risk of getting steamrollered by the RedBull and VAG budgets which aren't as closely linked to direct financial reward. I think it's great for the sport to have many competitive bikes on the grid, but I was expecting some kind of agreement over satellite teams for the next five years without which I can see there being problems ahead.
I'm not convinced having six bikes on the grid gives 50% more useful data than having four though, even less four giving 100% more than two: Ducati are benefiting this year from having the four best riders they could get on current bikes, all of them are helping to make eachother more competitive; I doubt Danilo and Iker are helping Brad and Miguel much, likewise Vale and Fabio.
The MotoGP team has then been further hobbled by the 'B' spec approach, or at least that's how it seems this year; I don't think it will help Yamaha to develop the bike having two riders on old machines; thinking back, there were times when the Tech3 riders appeared held back on old equipment e.g. Zarco. Having Rossi this year hasn't really fitted in to the ethos of the squad either.
You're picking out Yamaha, but HRC, Suzuki and Aprilia are in the same boat, the sport is a commercial venture to help sell bikes; they're all at risk of getting steamrollered by the RedBull and VAG budgets which aren't as closely linked to direct financial reward. I think it's great for the sport to have many competitive bikes on the grid, but I was expecting some kind of agreement over satellite teams for the next five years without which I can see there being problems ahead.
I'm not convinced having six bikes on the grid gives 50% more useful data than having four though, even less four giving 100% more than two: Ducati are benefiting this year from having the four best riders they could get on current bikes, all of them are helping to make eachother more competitive; I doubt Danilo and Iker are helping Brad and Miguel much, likewise Vale and Fabio.
Petronas getting out makes sense.
They inexplicably nearly won the title with quaterrario before he just went downhill. You suspect the main yamaha team were delighted by
this as they would have looked pretty stupid.
Then quaterrario is yanked away to to the main team but never mind as they get Rossi who then goes on to be pretty hopeless.
To make matters worse he is probably machinating behind the scenes for his own team and then clears off for the saudi money.
Like Petronas I would clear off and let them all stew.
They inexplicably nearly won the title with quaterrario before he just went downhill. You suspect the main yamaha team were delighted by
this as they would have looked pretty stupid.
Then quaterrario is yanked away to to the main team but never mind as they get Rossi who then goes on to be pretty hopeless.
To make matters worse he is probably machinating behind the scenes for his own team and then clears off for the saudi money.
Like Petronas I would clear off and let them all stew.
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