How Rossi and Yamaha defied the odds in 2004

MotoGP technical guru Neil Spalding joins Toby Moody to revisit Valentino Rossi's dramatic switch from Honda to Yamaha for the 2004 MotoGP season. As well as recalling their personal memories of being in the paddock when Rossi announced he was leaving the dominant force of MotoGP's then-new four-stroke era, they explain in depth how the technical battle was shaping up between Honda and Yamaha in those crucial early years after the 500cc bikes were sidelined. Rossi's stunning debut win for Yamaha is revisited, including mentions of the key personnel from the team that made his remarkable achievements that year possible. Toby and Neil also look at where Yamaha stands today as a result of its mid-2000s turnaround, and if it is about to go through a similar process from 2019 to 2020 as it did from 2003 to 2004. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.