Yamaha have lifted the covers on their 2014 MotoGP challenger at a 3S dealer meeting in Indonesia. Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi unveiled the motorcycle, decked out in its 2014 livery, in front of nearly 4000 Yamaha employees in Jakarta as they begin the road to reclaiming the world titles clinched by Marc Marquez and Honda in November.
Lorenzo is impressed by the new-look machine and looks forward to the start of pre-season testing at Sepang on February 4th.
“I like the new bike a lot, it’s very smart and elegant with more white. It’s not just the colour though; I’m excited to see what’s inside the bike in Sepang. My expectations for this season are very high. This winter I had an operation to take out the metal plates in my shoulder so I’m a bit lighter but I’m also a bit fatter after Christmas! I am training hard to lose some kilos and I will try to start the season well like last year and be straight onto the podium. This will be important to get points and gain confidence to keep going through the season. Our rivals will be tough but I think if we’ve improved in some areas then we have a good chance to win the title again.”
Rossi is embarking on his fifteenth consecutive season in the premier class and hopes 2014 will signal a revival as he looks to close the gap on the dominant Spanish trio.
“This season is very important for me and the fact that we officially start the season here in Jakarta makes it even more special. I can’t remember any previous unveiling by Yamaha made outside Europe, so today’s event was special for several reasons. Yamaha deliberately decided to offer the Indonesian dealers the chance to host the unveiling of the 2014 M1 during their big annual meeting here in Jakarta and this is another sign of the increasing importance of the SE Asian market for the global business. I truly hope to be able to race here again, very soon, before it’s too late!!”
“We unveiled the new livery for 2014 today; it’s very nice, very elegant and has more white than last year. It’s still very much in the Yamaha Factory style and I like it a lot. The expectations for the coming season are very high. My target is to try and do better than last year, be more competitive and fight for the podium every weekend. I am sure our bike will be very competitive again. It was already very good last year and Yamaha engineers were able to develop it further through the season therefore I expect a lot from my new M1 and I am sure it will get even better during the season.”
