Lin Jarvis has been Yamaha's man in Grand Prix for ages, and this longevity means that he is one of the team managers in Grand Prix who has worked alongside a certain Valentino Rossi the longest in the box. This relationship will end at the end of this year when the Doctor will leave the leather to put on the retired costume. It is therefore time to take stock and the Englishman does not hide that the nine-time World Champion also has his dark side. A dark side which would have cost him this famous tenth title which he will have to do without forever...
On the helmet of Valentino Rossi, there is a sun and a moon and, at this moment, his prolific career is in its twilight. But before entering the night, Lynn Jarvis, who knows a lot about the Doctor, indulges in confidences that could be the dawn of a final controversy. He thus confided in Mat Oxley on certain key stages in his relationship with Vale. With evaluations that are sure to spark debate.
The story of course has its beginning and it dates from 2003 : " in 2003 we met Valentino in the biggest secret with Davide Brivio at the Mobile Clinic " remember Lynn Jarvis. " He told us that if we took his men, he would run for us. I couldn't believe it, it seemed like a dream. I replied: “Are you serious? Really ? Wait, if we can fix that in the contract, are you coming to Yamaha? And he said 'Yeah that's what I just said!' It was a memorable moment ».
« A lot of people said that with Valentino it was a risk and it was " precise Jarvis. “ When we won the first race in South Africa, we realized that anything was possible. It was pure joy: an unforgettable emotion. The other magical moment happened at Phillip Island, where he won the 2004 world title ».
But the “story” between Yamaha and the Doctor is not just written in rose water. There were also thorns with serious moments of tension... The arrival of Jorge Lorenzo did not please Vale. Iwata's mark feared that Valentino Rossi did not move to F1 and therefore needed a replacement: “ managing them both in the garage was not a simple thing » recalls the English manager. “ In 2010 he said 'Me or Lorenzo'. Which is unacceptable to us. Our relationship started to deteriorate and there was a lot of bitterness ».
A bitterness which led to the separation with the departure of Red toward Ducati. A resounding failure for Vale who then came knocking at the door of the motor home Yamaha … Which did not open like that, far from it: “ Jorge Lorenzo won the title with us in 2010 and 2012 " remember Lin Jarvis. " So it was very, very tricky and difficult to try to bring his nemesis back into the team.e. Valentino's first approach to us came from his team. Some at Yamaha didn't want to bring it back, but I saw the benefits for the brand and was convinced it would be a good deal. So I went to meet Valentino at his home in Tavullia and we talked a lot. It was a very special moment after our relationship had deteriorated so much ».
Lin Jarvis: “ if Rossi had not provoked Marc Marquez in 2015 he would have been World Champion«
This reconciliation made, Valentino Rossi was not, however, at peace in the paddock and opening a new front with Marc Marquez en 2015. A situation and a year which greatly marked a Lin Jarvis who is convinced that the event and the moment changed the course of history. He states thus: “ if Valentino hadn't challenged Marc Marquez after Phillip Island, he probably wouldn't have blown up like that and Vale would have won the world championship"
And he ends with this certainty: “ With what happened in 2015, MotoGP started to resemble football, with partisan fans insulting the riders. It changed motorcycle racing forever: the sport we love was poisoned ". So, Valentino Rossi would have been both a blessing and a calamity for the world of Grands Prix. An intertwined light and darkness that we find with the sun of the day and the moon of the night which have always accompanied the decorations of his helm.
