MotoGP, Checa: "We fell asleep in Yamaha. Rossi surprised everyone by winning right away."

Their paths crossed in 2004. Not many people remember that Checa was Valentino's first partner at Yamaha. Back then, Valentino Rossi had just won three consecutive titles with Honda, while Yamaha, his new team, was trudging along. Being the good rider that he was, Carlos Checa had the opportunity to experience firsthand what it means to work together with an outstanding rider, with someone who can perform even when the conditions aren't right.

"We didn't think Vale would be able to win and, instead, he did. As far as I'm concerned, it was a lesson, because we knew that the bike had limits, and we had fallen asleep a bit, then he arrived with the energy of his best phase," the Spanish rider - who was already racing for Yamaha in 1999 -  confessed to DAZN.

"I think it was a kind of revenge for him. A way to show that his success wasn't thanks to Honda.Yamaha did a lot of work, and there was a radical change," he continued in his account of that period.

So much work was done by the pair to turn what looked like an ugly duckling into a swan that could make a difference. "The greatest satisfaction was that, the year after they were supposed to decided to develop a new motorcycle, they finally had to go back to ours," he remarked happily.

If it was a fratricidal war with Jorge Lorenzo, the coexistence between the Doctor and the now 51-year-old has always been peaceful. "Rossi is a transparent guy, as you can see from the outside. Very competitive and with great talent, especially from the point of view of mental management. He's out of the ordinary and, at the time, he was always willing to learn. We always got along well so, for me, it was an incredible opportunity to be able to share the garage with one of the best ever."

At this point, one has to wonder: if they only have Fabio Quartararo capable of a stable performance, maybe they've fallen asleep again at Yamaha (like at Honda, after all).