KIWI RIDER 05 2018 VOL.1 | Page 65

in Moto 1 and Moto 2) is rumoured to maybe take it on. But then there are rumours that he won’t as he has a pretty good deal with the Yamaha works side and switching to a satellite version may not be competitively wise. All part of the colour and intrigue which surrounds the landscape of the MotoGP. And so then... to the question of equality. Of course in terms of engines there never will be. Nor will there be in outright brilliance in terms of riding ability. There are always going to differences and exceptions, as there are in the paypackets. I came across a tale in a UK publication which, it declared, was based on data collated from “various sources”, as well as some estimations. It was all about who gets paid what for riding a MotoGP iron for a season. Many (including me) figured Rossi would have been the highest paid lad, and drawing $10 million a season is pretty good. But nope, Marc Marquez is reportedly on $11.5 million a year. Marquez’s team mate, veteran Dani Pedrosa, is listed as drawing $3.3 million, while Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate Maverick Vinales has $5 million alongside his name on the list. The Ducati boys appear well looked after, Dovizioso has $7 million beside his name while Lorenzo has $8 million. Mind you, another Ducati lad further down the scale, Alvaro Bautista, is listed as dra