Bikes: Biggest rider team moves in history

Now that Marc Marquez has left Repsol Honda for Ducati in one of the biggest moves in motorcycle racing history. It is time to look into the past at some of the past huge moves in history.

Valentino Rossi – The move to struggling Yamaha (MotoGP)

Valentino Rossi had an incredibly successful career at Honda – winning three MotoGP titles with the Japanese manufacturer. However, at the end of 2003, Rossi announced ta the shift to Yamaha.

This move sent the media into a frenzy, with the World Champion moving from the best bike on the grid to a struggling Yamaha. At the time, Yamaha had not won a title since 1992, in Wayne Rainey won for Team Roberts.

To add to the drama of the move, Honda held Rossi to his contract and thus could not test the bike until Sepang. However, we know how the rest of the story went with Rossi winning a further four titles with Yamaha.

Valentino Rossi – A fairy tale turned nightmare (MotoGP)

After years of success at Yamaha, it only made his next move as shocking to the world of motorcycle racing. In 2010, Rossi announced he would leave Yamaha and would no longer be teammates with his rival Jorge Lorenzo in a historic switch to Ducati.

In 2011, Rossi finished seventh in the standings and sixth in 2012, in two tough seasons with the Italian brand. His best result was a second-place finish in the French Grand Prix. This also marked the first season in Rossi’s MotoGP career where he would not win a Grand Prix.

What followed was two years of struggling with crashing becoming a regular occurrence, including the iconic 2012 Spanish Grand Prix.

In an interview with MotoGP.com, Rossi said he moved because he was annoyed with Yamaha bringing in Lorenzo: “It was a mistake to go to Ducati because I was annoyed with Yamaha. Because after having won (the title) with Yamaha in 2004 and 2005, after so many years in which Yamaha had been struggling, Yamaha decided to bring a very strong teammate, and then I got really annoyed at it.”

Carl Fogarty – A new challenge (WorldSBK)

After winning back-to-back WorldSBK titles for Ducati in 1994 and 1995, Carl Fogarty left Ducati to look for a new challenge. He chose Castrol Honda as his name home for 1996, which would turn out to be a bad move.

. The deal would last for one season, with Fogarty only winning four race wins and fourth in the standings. This led Fogarty to return to Ducati for the rest of his career – winning a further two titles in 1998 and 1999.

Speaking to worldsbk.com, Fogarty said: “I should never have broken up a winning package. I had the best bike ever in 1995, and I went and broke all that up for a couple of hundred thousand pounds more; I was just stupid, really.”

Scott Redding – A return to Britain (BSB)

Scott Redding spent five years in the MotoGP, riding open-class machinery, satellite teams, and one year onboard the factory Aprilia. He claimed two podiums in MotoGP, but after a tough 2018 season, he was left with limited options.

To everyone’s surprise and the delight of British Superbike fans, Scott Redding announced that he would join Paul Bird Motorsport, riding a Ducati. With Shane Byrne ruled out of racing due to a test crash, Redding would join Josh Brookes in the team.

Redding won 11 races in his Championship winning season, winning the title in his rookie season. This ride allowed Redding to get his career back on track – securing a factory WorldSBK ride with Ducati for 2020.

Jonathan Rea – A move to blue (WorldSBK)

Jonathan Rea, one of the most successful WorldSBK riders of all time, announced that he would leave Kawasaki at the end of 2023. He would leave Kawasaki after nine years and six World Championships.

Hours after announcing his departure, he would unveil plans to join Yamaha, replacing the outgoing Toprak Razgatlioglu. This was a monumental moment in the sport, with Rea wanting a change of scenery and a more competitive machine.

For 2024, Rea is an instant favourite for the Championship after he finished fourth on his first day of testing in Jerez.

Feature Image: motogp.com