Lorenzo And Rossi Unveil Yamaha MotoGP 2014 Livery

Fri, 17 Jan 2014

Yamaha’s official MotoGP outfit unveiled the team’s official 2014 livery in front of a packed audience in Jakarta, Indonesia. The team’s two factory riders, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, were on hand to proudly showcase their YZF-M1 motorcycles.

As expected, blue, Yamaha’s factory color, plays a major role in the color scheme, but unlike last year where it was the dominant color, it is equally offset by contrasting white swaths on the upper fairing, fuel tank, and throughout the lower fairing. The lack of a title sponsor for the team (think Repsol for Honda’s MotoGP team), has meant Yamaha has fronted the majority of the bill for its racing efforts and painted the team bikes to reflect the company colors.

Jorge Lorenzo:

It’s always nice to come into a sunny country with happy people, especially Indonesia, a country that gets crazy about MotoGP. Both Vale and myself have a lot of fans. Everyone recognises us in the street and gives us a lot of love so it’s a good place to promote Yamaha.

Every year this Asian market gets more and more important so our visits here increase. This time we decided to do the launch here, in front of thousands of Yamaha people. I like the new bike a lot, it’s very smart and elegant with more white. It’s not just the color 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. When you are fast and winning races all the big factories want you, this is normal. I have to clarify that there is no truth in the rumours that there is a contract with another manufacturer and I would like to start negotiating as soon as possible for my future with Yamaha. My dream is to retire after my career as a Yamaha rider. If our bike is even better this year then it will be easier! Valentino Rossi: 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. 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.

By Troy Siahaan