highest paid how do you know this. the salaries are kept hush hush. if you include endorsements yes he is highest paid but i dont think his contract from yamaha is higher than mm or lorenzo right now.
i'm just surprised that Crutchlow actually gets paid.
MotoGP 2016 Drivers Lineup, Contracts & Salaries
NO.# DRIVER CONTRACT SALARY
1 Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2 Year deal (2015-16) $10m down from $12mm
2 Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) 2 year deal (2015-17) $10m
3 Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2 years deal (2015-16) $6.5m
4 Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 2 year deal (2015-16) $2.5m
5 Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 2 year deal (till 2016) $1m
6 Andrea Iannone (Ducati) $850,000
7 Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha)
Signs 1 year extension for 2016 $850,000
8 Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha)
new 3 year deal (till 2019) $1 million
9 Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki) $900,000
10 Maverick Vinales (Suzuki) $300,000
11 Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Gresini) Last year on his current 2-year deal $900,000
12 Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Gresini) $300,000
13 Danilo Petrucci (Pramac) Last year on his 2-year deal $650,000
14 Scott Redding (Pramac) signs for Pramac for 2016 season $500,000
15 Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) Signs 1 year extension for 2016 $700,000
16 Yonny Hernadez (Aspar Ducati) Signs for Aspar on 1 year deal for 2016 $500,000
17 Eugene Laverty (Aspar Ducati) $300,000
18 Tito Rabat (Mark VDS Honda) Moved from moto2 to MotoGP for 2016 $150,000
19 Jack Miller (Mark VDS Honda) Moves from LCR Honda to Mark VDS) $250,000
20 Loris Baz (Avintia Ducati)
21 Hector Barbera (Avintia Ducati)
The other interesting fact is Rossi has a net worth in excess of $130mm probably $100mm more than the next person.