Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi today unveiled the 2014 Yamaha M1 at the 3S Dealer meeting in Indonesia. There are no real surprises from Jakarta, and the ‘new’ M1 looks very similar to last year’s. And the year before that. Of course, there are no technical details released.
This is the pairing’s first official appointment in 2014, coinciding with rumours of Lorenzo going to Ducati, which is, more than likely, a load of steaming poo.
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Jorge agrees: “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!”
He went on to talk about the M1: “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 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.”
Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi is hoping to go better than last season: “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.”
