Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128369
Briefly... Yamaha Unveils the New M I Continued from poge 7 The new-look Yamaha M 1 MotoGP racer. T he 2005-specification Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M I made its public debut in its new livery on Monday, March 7, in a press conference attended by Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards and team director Davide Brivio. The reigning World Champion and his new teammate were the guests of honor at Yamaha's 2005 Motor Sports Press Conference, which took place in Tokyo, japan. Rossi, now in his second season with Yamaha, talked about his year so far and his goals for the forthcoming season. "We have done a lot of test runs during the off-season," Rossi said. "Things aren't quite I00 percent yet, but the machine and the engine are already much better than last year. It's nice to see the M I in its final 2005 livery. I hope I can win the title again this year on this new bike. but winning is never easy. I was very happy to win nine races in last year's championship, and I think that is a good target for this year, too. I hope everyone will be cheering for me." Edwards spoke about his return to Yamaha after a seven-year absence. "I was last with Yamaha in the 1998 season in the World Superbike Championship, and I am very happy to be back," the Texan said. "I saw how good the MotoGP team and machines were last year, so I was excited when I got the offer to come back to the Yamaha side. I am also glad that there will be a U.S. round at Laguna Seca this year for the first time in awhile. I hope to have a bit of an advantage there, but I will be giving my best shot in all the races." Brivio, who enters his fourth season as the Yamaha factory team director, com- mented on the new bike and the task facing the riders. "We're very pleased with the look and design of the new bike, as well as with its performance so far during testing. This is going to be a very exciting season and a big challenge for both riders. After this we are flying directly to Phillip Island for our fourth test of the year, and we hope to continue the good work we've been doing so far." Senior managing director of Yamaha Motor Company Tsuneji Togami, senior general manager of Motorcycle Engineering Operations Masao Furusawa and 5higeto Kitagawa, head of the engineering department in charge of develop- ing the 2005 YZR-M I, were three of the Yamaha Motor Company representatives present at today's Japanese event. Togami launched the press conference by stressing the importance of Yamaha's race activities for fulfilling Yamaha's corporate mission of "We create Kando - Touching your heart," saying, "Through our motorcycle racing activities, we want to stimulate the motorcycle racing scene, to bring motor sports closer to people and to help raise the next generation of people who will lead these sports into the future." Kitagawa then highlighted the four key goals of the YZR-M I development project in 2005 as improving the balance of the machine's handling stability, boosting acceleration performance and top speed, balancing high power with fuel economy, and making the machine more robust in terms of its adaptability to different track conditions. He also explained the 2005 MI boasted a more compact engine design to further concentrate the weight around the center of gravity before describing the progress made with the Delatbox frame, which has been redesigned for improved torsional balance, laterally and longitudinally. The redesigned air intake layout was also introduced as offering improved aerodynamic attributes. "Besides winning a second consecutive rider title," he said. "We also intend to go for the 2005 manufacturer's title with the new YZR-M I." part of last weekend, and hopefully we raised a little more awareness to the project and a lot of money towards a cure." Fox Racing, Makita USA and Oakley also contributed to the cause. Oakley auctioned off the goggles Carmichael wore at the Atlanta 5upercross. Fox Racing donated four sets of gear that were worn by Carmichael in Atlanta and Makita provided four Makita 4-Piece Triathlon Cordless combo kits. Three sets of the gear and three of the combo kits had already been auctioned off in the Atlanta pits and at the DMXS Charity Ride. The remaining gear and combo kit will be auctioned off on eBay, according to Suzuki. "When RC approached us about getting involved with him to support the Ride4AT, we were happy to oblige," Fox Racing's Scott Taylor said. "We had the easy part of building the custom gear. He is the champion who wore the gear to victory in one of the most exciting races in history and then donated it all to a great cause." According to a press release from joe Rocket, the Michael Jordan Motorsports Suzuki team of jason Pridmore. Steve Rapp and Montez Stewart will wear custom joe Rocket Speedmaster leathers, gloves and boots during the 200S season. "As America's premier sportbike brand, joe Rocket clearly reflects the essence of Michael jordan Motorsports Suzuki," said Kenny Abbott, general team manager of jordan Suzuki. "By preparing championshipcaliber gear for our racers, joe Rocket will help to streamline our efforts as we aim for the winners' circle. "The synergy between Joe Rocket and Michael jordan Motorsports Suzuki creates a unique situation that will extend beyond the racetrack - bringing further awareness of the best-selling apparel brand in America, to motorcyclists throughout the nation and the world," said Bruce Parker, marketing director for joe Rocket. "I expect it to be a tremendous success and a whole lot of fun, too." II Motorcycle fantasy game provider Fantasy Racer has announced the launch of its 2005 Fantasy Superbike League. The league features your favorite road racing riders in the AMA Superbike, Supersport, Formula Xtreme and Superstock classes. The 2005 Fantasy Superbike League is free for all participants and signups have just started at FantasyRacer.com. Fantasy Racer leagues allow you to become a team manager of riders that you pick throughout season. Each rider is given a fantasy salary and a budget is provided to each team to hire a group of riders. Team managers score points based on actual finishes of the riders that are on his/her team and points are accumulated throughout the season. Other free leagues currently running on FantasyRacer.com are Flat Track and GNCC. The 2005 Fantasy Motocross League will also be launched soon. Fox has announced the grand opening of a state-of-the-art minibike track designed and built by multi-time motocross/supercross Continued on page J 1 CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 16,2005 9