“Valentino Rossi changed the history of Yamaha”: Checa’s remembrance

An engagement that changed the history of a team.

Valentino Rossi has tied an important slice of his success in MotoGP to Yamaha, which he joined after already winning a lot in Honda. But that transfer, dated 2004, constituted a real change of mentality for the Iwata house, as confirmed by the man who was already piloting it: Carlos Checa.

“To be honest, we didn’t think Valentino Rossi could win in Yamaha. And instead he did,” Checa explained to ‘DAZN.’ “For me it was a lesson, maybe we had fallen asleep a little bit on the limits of our bike. Before the arrival of the ‘Doctor,’ the Japanese manufacturer had not won titles for 13 years.

“Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha with a great energy, I think that was the best moment of his career. It was a mission for him, he wanted to prove to the world that he was not winning just because he was racing in Honda. And his arrival also helped a lot for the team, which worked hard and changed in a brutal way,” Checa added.

The relationship between the two teammates, moreover, was very good. “I have an exceptional relationship with him, and working with him was like an apprenticeship for me,” Checa explained in fact. “Valentino Rossi is as he appears, a very transparent and at the same time competitive person. He was great at psychological management, and to share the box with him for a year was a privilege. He is one of the best riders who ever lived.”