It wasn’t too long ago that Yamaha was looking for another championship at the top of the motorcycle roadracing world, but it was not sure where to turn. Hence, the signing of Valentino Rossi that instantly changed its fortunes.
With the announcement that Casey Stoner will miss the next three races due to a continuing, somewhat mysterious illness that has sapped him of energy, Yamaha now is in firm control of this year’s MotoGP championship as well. Not just Rossi, but Jorge Lorenzo, essentially from the same factory paddock, remain as the contenders for this year’s crown.
The Yamaha teammates are separated by 25 points, with Rossi leading and just 7 races remaining. The next active rider is Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, a full 72 points in arrears of Rossi and without much hope of taking this year’s title.
Rossi has the experience and consistency, of course, while Lorenzo has flashes of brilliance sometimes mixed with horrendous crashes and subsequent DNFs. If Lorenzo can find a rhythm, and get a bit lucky, he could take this year’s title. But the smart money has to be on Rossi.
