Anthony West spouts off

[TK4]

Anthony West slams ‘corrupt’ FIM, accuses Marquez, Rossi of cheating

Ex-MotoGP rider Anthony West rallies against a 'corrupt' FIM after he is accused of violating his doping ban, says body allows certain riders to cheat

www.visordown.com

 

[Brian P]

Reads like sour grapes, to me. Is WADA perfect ... no. Is the FIM perfect ... no. Did AntWest act properly ... no.

 

[Lightcycle]

Well, he's not entirely wrong about Rossi and his Michelin tires.

I don't think the tires were cooked specifically for VR46, but Michelin did use to bring them in on the day of the race *after* qualifying data was available.

And when Bridgestone complained about this practice, Dorna disallowed it for the 2007 season.

The same season a certain C. Stoner stomped all over Rossi with his Bridgestone-shod Sedici.

And then the next year Rossi switched to Bridgestone and won back the championship.

Coincidence? Or is my tin-foil hat slipping off my head?

 

[Brian P]

No, he's not wrong, but what is wrong is that there was anything against the rules about it at the time. That was an era before spec-tire rules and designated tire suppliers. It so happens that Michelin had their factory in Europe, within overnight-shipping distance of all the European races (i.e. most of the series), and they did that because they COULD. Bridgestone couldn't, because their factory was in Japan. The top sponsored Michelin riders benefited from this. That would have been Rossi.