Riders and Teams – Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? – Used YAMAHA

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Can Yamaha win MotoGP again with a reorganized team ?

Riders and Teams - Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? - Used YAMAHA

In addition to the new "Monstrous" colors of the 2019 YZR-M1, Yamaha also unveiled in Indonesia the new organization chart of its official MotoGP team which is evolving in depth…. to the great satisfaction of its star pilot, Valentino Rossi! Explanations.

It’s obvious, but it’s becoming urgent: Yamaha must imperatively react to regain success in MotoGP, after two seasons very far below its expectations … Distanced by the, beaten by the and followed by the, the – judged behind in terms of traction and tire management by its riders – have lost their enviable balance and have only won once last year thanks to …

  • MNC special file :
  • MNC special file :

For his part, Valentino Rossi did not manage to secure a single victory over the Yamaha in 2018, which is a first since the start of their association in! Faced with this failure, Japanese officials unveiled drastic measures during the presentation in Jakarta (Indonesia) of the new M1, now in the colors of Monster instead of Movistar.

 “Beyond the purely technical aspect, organizational changes have been made,” says official Yamaha team director Lin Jarvis below over the microphone. "Hiroshi Itou becomes General Manager Motorsports Development in Japan and Takahiro Sumi, who until then was in charge of chassis design, inherits the role of Group Leader, knowing that the interaction between Japan and the circuit is very important".

  • Video :
  • MNC of February 4, 2019 :

"We did not necessarily have good results last season and we could not continue in the same direction", admits the British leader who must have felt the wind of the ball when the leaders spoke of the need to bring down heads "this winter…

Riders and Teams - Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? - Used YAMAHA

"We had to bring a breath of fresh air", continues the big boss of the Yamaha MotoGP team: "this is why we have decided in Japan to change the General Manager Motorsports Development and the Group Leader. I hope that this new organization will make a good start at Sepang ".

Changes approved by Valentino Rossi

"I know the new project manager very well and in my opinion he is competent," said Valentino Rossi. The Italian star had indeed invited Yamaha to thoroughly review its organization and especially to commit more human and technical resources. "We must follow the example of Honda and Ducati, who were inspired in this direction by Formula 1", pleads n ° 46.

Riders and Teams - Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? - Used YAMAHA

"We talked a lot with the president of Yamaha Motor Racing (Kouichi Tsuji, editor’s note) and with all the Japanese engineers at the end of last year, and what we asked was quite clear. I know that in Japan they worked hard this winter and there will be new things to try ".

Among these changes hoped for by the riders is the improvement of electronics, an area in which Yamaha has been lagging behind for the past two seasons. According to Rossi and Viñales, it is impossible to compete with Honda and Ducati without an electronic management sufficiently efficient to spare tire capital..

"In modern MotoGP, for me the key is the tires," Rossi insists. "We always try to work to save tires, we start on Friday morning with the main idea of ​​saving tires. It is difficult work that requires a lot of precision".

"Unfortunately, next week I will be 40!"

 "You can make the difference with the driving style, but at the same time you have to work hard with the engineers: so I think that is the objective for this season in order to try to win", believes Valentino Rossi who will turn 40 on February 16.

Riders and Teams - Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? - Used YAMAHA

“Unfortunately, next week I’ll be 40!” Joked (halfway ?!) the nine-time world champion before taking the plane to the. "I’m quite old, but it’s a challenge for me to try to be competitive at this age", underlines the Doctor.. 

  • MNC of January 17, 2019 :
  • Sepang tests :

"Physically it’s quite difficult, you have to train more every day, on a motorcycle but also indoors. I don’t feel much difference between 36 and 40 years old, but compared to 25 years old, yes it’s clear! I still have two years of contract, that’s a lot and the challenge is to try to stay competitive and fight for the victory ", promises the veteran of the plateau.

Sepang’s big expectations

Remember that other internal changes affect the official Yamaha team this year: Maverick Viñales – who now has Esteban Garcia as chief engineer, while the former rider Julian Simon "will accompany him mentally", specifies the team following Mack’s request for a .

Riders and Teams - Can Yamaha win in MotoGP again with a reorganized team? - Used YAMAHA

On the other side of the box, Idalio Gaviera in the role of performance analyst for Valentino Rossi, in charge of observing the driver from the edge of the track. A new engineer also arrives in the structure dedicated to Rossi with Hitoshi Hoshino.

  • Viñales wants a sports psychologist and a smaller motorcycle
  • Luca Cadalora will no longer advise Valentino Rossi in 2019

All eyes will therefore be on Yamaha during the first tests of the year in Malaysia to measure the impact of these changes: "this test is very important for us", admits Jarvis, fully aware of the need to straighten the bar after two bad seasons…

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