So it’s here at last. And we are still none the wiser. In a press conference lasting nearly 40 minutes, held in the Yamaha hospitality, Yamaha’s top management, lead engineers, and test riders divulged just enough juicy detail about their new YZR-M1 V4 machine to keep the media interested, without giving anything of real significance away.
The importance of the project was underlined by who was present. Takahiro Sumi, the General Manager of Yamaha’s Motor Sports Development Division, basically the big boss of Yamaha’s racing program. And, I am told, the enabling force behind the changes at Yamaha, arguing the case for the changes to allow the European side of the project more freedom to develop more quickly.
Paolo Pavesio, taking over as Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, the Milan-based subsidiary that runs Yamaha’s MotoGP project, from Lin Jarvis, who was one of the initiators of the V4 switch. Kazuhiro Masuda, Yamaha YZR-M1 Project Leader, the engineer charged with overseeing the development of the new bike. Max Bartolini, Technical Director for Yamaha Motor Racing, the technical lead for the European side of the project, and the man who has helped shift Yamaha’s MotoGP project into a higher gear.
