When Valentino Rossi traded his Honda for Yamaha, he left the bike with him in three consecutive championships for the team in a barren run of 12 years.
It was a huge risk, but it was a redefine of MotoGP history. Honda did not allow Rossi to test the new Yamaha bike until the latest opportunity before the 2004 season.
That wasn’t a problem. Rossi became the first rider since Eddie Lawson in the Premier class, winning consecutive championships on various bikes.
Yamaha’s teammates didn’t think Valentino Rossi would win.
Carlos Checca was his first teammate at Yamaha. This is a largely forgotten partnership, the length of Rossi’s tenure and the volatility he shared with other teammates, especially Jorge Lorenzo.
Checca, who came in seventh in 2004 after his new teammate was hit by the title, admits that Rossi was surprised to see his Yamaha bike falling from obscurity to glory.
“I didn’t believe Valentino could win at Yamaha.
“For me, I think I fell asleep a bit when I found the restrictions on my bike, so that was also a lesson.
“Valentino arrived with energy at his finest moments.”
Rossi is now synonymous with his time at Yamaha. The magnitude of the risk he took after leaving Honda is probably overlooked.
Chekka said: “I think it’s revenge for him: “I think I’ll win because I have a Honda?”
“Yamaha worked a lot too. He started making dramatic changes.”
Checca is now proud of the small role he played on Rossi’s long list of success. As a teammate who has been in the same garage for a year, Checca helped Rossi develop his new and higher bicycle.
“We did a lot of work on bikes, I think we did an incredible job at Yamaha, but the following year they had to build a new bike and go back to the old ones.
When Lorenzo was his teammate, Rossi requested a wall separating Yamaha’s garage, but Checca had no such issues.
“He was very transparent as we saw him,” recalls the Spaniard.
“It’s very competitive. He had a huge amount of skills and most importantly mental management.
“He was another guy I wanted to learn.
“I have an exceptional relationship with him. It was a great opportunity to share my garage, experiences, moments and work with one of the best riders ever existed.”