Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Roadracing World correspondent Mat Oxley has confirmed that MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is taking most of his crew with him as he defects from Honda to Yamaha for 2004.

The crew, led by Jerry Burgess, was helped along in the decision by incentive payments made by Rossi himself, thought to be in the range of $50,000 each.

Prior to working with Rossi, most of the crew members worked with Mick Doohan.

First priority for the crew will be to sort through the massive adjustability of the Yamaha YZR-M1 and to find a workable baseline setting by averaging the wild range of settings used on the bike during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.