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Yamaha has to
announced that Valentino Rossi will remain with the Japanese
factory in 2007, racing for a fourth year with Yamaha’s
Factory Team in the MotoGP World Championship. Rossi will
continue to spearhead Yamaha’s Grand Prix challenge and bike
development, as MotoGP enters a new era of 800cc racing in
2007. After months of speculation that he would switch to
Formula 1 with the Ferrari team last week Rossi stated be
would be making the switch, although this new contract is
for just one year, and will leave him a free agent at the
end of 2007.
Rossi has
enjoyed huge success with Yamaha since he joined the factory
just over two years ago and every one of his races has
captured the true spirit of ‘Kando’, the Japanese word for
the sensation of intense excitement that we experience when
we encounter something of supreme quality. The Italian won
the championship with the YZR-M1 on his first try in 2004
and again in 2005, when Yamaha took a clean-sweep of
Riders’, Team and Manufacturers’ Championships in the year
of it’s 50th Anniversary. 2006 has proved more difficult for
the World Champion, with just one win so far this season
after a series of unfortunate occurrences, but Yamaha has
every faith that Rossi will recover his winning-form,
starting at his home Grand Prix in Mugello this weekend.
Speaking from
Mugello today, Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin
Jarvis commented, “We are firstly delighted that Valentino
has chosen to stay in MotoGP. He is a great ambassador for
motorcycle racing in general and extremely important to the
global image of this sport. He is the most talented and the
fastest rider on the grid and the benchmark to which others
aspire. We are extremely happy that Valentino has chosen to
continue his illustrious MotoGP career with Yamaha in 2007.
Yamaha and Valentino have an excellent relationship and we
have enjoyed great success together since our partnership
was born in 2004.
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