So Valentino Rossi leaves Michelin for Bridgestone in 2008. Although you would have to say Bridgestone had the upper hand this year, this could still be a bad move for Mr. Rossi.
Rossi will not only lack a teammate that can share tire data (his teammate will be on Michelins), Yamaha has no baseline for Bridgestone tires at any of the tracks on the MotoGP circuit. Rossi is a great development rider, but these are certainly disadvantages related to the switch next year.
Add to this the fact that no one can predict how Michelin will react next year. Michelin will continue to support several riders, including the factory Honda team of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. Michelin helped put Pedrosa on the top step of the podium at the final race of the year, and it is certainly conceivable that Michelin will improve its tire significantly for 2008, and perhaps even re-take the lead in the tire wars with Bridgestone.
Honda doesn’t like to lose, and its loyalty to Michelin just might be rewarded in 2008. Between the two of them, it is hard to say who wants the championship back more, Honda or Michelin. Rossi’s highly publicized defection might well be considered a slap in the face by Michelin, and you know Pedrosa thinks it is his turn to take the title next year (Honda probably feels the same way). Any way you look at it, Honda and Michelin will come out swinging in 2008. A somewhat ironic beneficiary might be Rossi’s Michelin-shod teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.
