Rossi, Yamaha in a lawsuit?

Hmm. This looks a little too coincidental.

--Dan

 

Connect the dots for someone who doesn't follow Motorcycle racing?

Are you alluding to the recent Ferrari F1 rumors and testing?

 

Rossi didn't want to be sponsored by a cigarette company. Yamaha planned on have Rossi run as a separate team without the Gauloises sponsorship. However, Gauloises has a contract to be the sponsor of Yamaha's factory team and felt Rossi would wear their colors. Then Yamaha decided to drop the sponsor completely. Now it's in the courts. That's the real basic recap of what's going on. I'm sure I left out some details, but you get the point.

 

I don't see it that way - just my opinion. This is nothing to do with Rossi breaking away from Yamaha. Basically Rossi doesn't want to ride with tobacco sponsorship money and Yamaha sided with him and have dumped Gauloises for '06. They weren't too happy about that and are saying Yamaha has a legal obligation to continue with them and to fulfill the agreed upon sponsorship deal. Its most likely going to court, however they are trying to settle.

It doesn't seem that if affects Rossi riding with Yamaha and IMO if anything it seems Yamaha jumped into bed with Rossi even more so than before.

 

I have great respect for Rossi for making a hard stand against racing for a tobacco sponsor.

 

Rossi doesn't want to be sponsored by tobacco money........and who sponsors Ferrari's F1 team?? That's where the coincidence pops up. Some say the Gauloises sponsorship might "clash with Marlboro branding during F1 tests." Crash.net

 

Agrred with Art - I don't see this as a moral stand on Rossi's part. The guy couldn't care less. Instead it's a question of getting all ready and set in the eye of the public for this transition to F1.

--Dan