Secret meetings, late-night negotiations, and a first glimpse of the Yamaha at dawn: Davide Brivio recalls Valentino Rossi’s legendary transfer.
Valentino Rossi’s move from Honda to Yamaha is still considered one of the most spectacular transfers in motorsport history. Davide Brivio, one of the key architects of this deal, looks back on the decisive moments.
The current Trackhouse team boss reveals how much resistance, secrecy, and courage it took to bring “Il Dottore” to Iwata before the 2004 season.
Brivio joined MotoGP in 2002 after a long Superbike career. Yamaha signed him as team manager. A year later, together with Lin Jarvis, then Yamaha’s top man in the paddock, one of the most daring offensives in the premier class began.
There were doubts about Rossi, even at Yamaha
The starting position seemed paradoxical: Rossi had dominated MotoGP for three years on Honda. Yamaha, on the other hand, had not won a title since 1992. Between 1993 and 2003, they won only 24 Grands Prix, while Honda won 117.
This dominance fueled the belief that it was not the rider but the motorcycle that made the difference. Anyone riding a Honda NSR or later the RC211V could automatically win. This was precisely the point that Brivio and Jarvis used to tempt Rossi. But internally, not everyone was behind the project.
“Initially, Yamaha didn’t want to sign Rossi because there was a feeling that if he won, everyone would think it was solely down to him.
And if he didn’t win, the blame would be placed on the bike,“ recalls Brivio. The turning point came with Masao Furusawa, who took over as head of the MotoGP project in June 2003. ”He was the one who changed that mindset. He convinced the Yamaha president that Valentino had to be signed.
Together, we convinced the management that you absolutely need a top rider to win. Honda won, yes—but with the best: Doohan, Rossi.”
Secret meetings for fear of Honda
The deal with Rossi was not concluded overnight. It took almost a year to work out all the details. The situation was extremely tense, as Honda made Rossi several new contract offers. As a result, the talks between Yamaha and the superstar had to take place in secret. “During the 2003 World Championship, we met with Vale almost every race weekend to discuss many things: the structure of the team, which mechanics he wanted to take with him, how to approach the tests, and so on,” Brivio recalls.
“The only problem was where we could meet, because in the paddock everyone can see you, and in the hotels all the teams are mixed up.” One scene in particular remains indelibly etched in his memory. It took place in the Clinica Mobile on the sidelines of the 2003 Czechia Grand Prix in Brno.
“We arranged to meet there after 10 p.m., when all the physiotherapists and doctors had already left. We unzipped the tent, went inside, sat down around a table, and began the meeting. Suddenly, we heard a motorcycle approaching, and both Lin and I hid under the table.”
Sneaking into the Yamaha pit in the middle of the night
When it finally came down to numbers, the talks became tough. Rossi’s manager at the time, Gibo Badioli, played hardball, at least initially. “Financially, Badioli’s demands were completely excessive at first. Later, we were able to reach an agreement.”
“And I believe that with what Yamaha sold afterwards, the company more than recouped its investment,” says Brivio, referring to Rossi’s public image.
Perhaps the most symbolic moment came after the agreement was reached: Rossi’s first encounter with his future machine. That too had to take place under the strictest secrecy.
“After we shook hands, Vale wanted to see the bike. That was at the Donington Park racetrack. We waited until the early hours of the morning because we wanted everyone to be gone from the paddock. And he came in wearing a hood so that no one would recognize him,” recalls Brivio.
A moment in the night that made motorsport history. Because just one year later, in his very first season with Yamaha, Rossi won the title and proved once and for all that it’s not just the bike, but above all the rider that makes the difference.
