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Movistar Yamaha kicks off 2015 MotoGP season

The long winter wait endured by racing fans the world over is coming to an end as the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team gather in Madrid to officially launch their 2015 campaign in the quest for title victory. A winter of development by Yamaha engineers and exhaustive training by the riders sees a formidable team gathered and ready to prove themselves against the best in the world.

The 2015 season will be the second year of partnership between the Yamaha Factory Team and Spanish company Telefónica. The five-year collaboration started in 2014 looks set to grow from strength to strength, making Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid the perfect venue to unveil the 2015 livery.

The formidable duo of Italian Valentino Rossi and Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo remain unchanged as the rider line up for the team. Nine-time world champion Rossi delighted the racing world in 2014 with an impressive season, returning to form as a key protagonist. ‘The Doctor’ increased the pressure round after round to finish the season in a well deserved second position.
Four-time world champion Lorenzo had a tougher start to the season but went on to find his rhythm, keeping his teammate firmly in his sights in the podium battles that marked the climax to the year and earning him third in the final standings. 2015 sees them both heading to Sepang for the first test of the year in top form, both physically and mentally, and as very real title contenders.
The 2015 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team line up is unveiled for the first time at the Distrito Telefónica in Madrid, the headquarters that is normally home to a workforce of 14,000 employees.
Presenting the team were MotoGP superstars Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, alongside the president of Telefónica España, Luis Miguel Gilpérez. They were joined by the General Manager of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd’s Motorsport Division, Kouichi Tsuji, the Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Lin Jarvis, and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Team Director, Massimo Meregalli.

The team now travels to Malaysia where the season will officially kick off with the first test at Sepang on 4th, 5th and 6th February. This will be the first opportunity for the riders to shake-down the 2015 YZR-M1 before the beginning of the championship in Qatar on 29th March.

Valentino Rossi | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The presentation of the new season is always a special moment. On this occasion I see for the first time my new bike, the new colours and new lines. Every time for me this is a big emotion. To present the bike and team means that a new season is about to start. The desire to start a new challenge is really huge, especially after the positive end of the 2014 season. Finishing second in the world championship was important, but this year the goal is even higher. Yamaha have worked so hard during the winter, and me too. I am in good shape, I feel good, I’m training a lot and I’m ready to begin the hard work at the Sepang Test.
The new bike is really beautiful; I really like it. Now I want to meet up with my team and work with all of them to achieve the best possible results. It will be a very interesting season. I will have very strong opponents, starting from my teammate who will surely be better prepared this winter. It will be important to do a good test and arrive at the first race with everything in the right place, then we will be ready to fight for victory”.


Jorge Lorenzo | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“This event always means a special date for all of us. It’s the official kick off of the season and I have to say it’s usually a special moment because we can see the final project and also the new livery. I love the new bike and I’m waiting to test it as soon as possible.
With this unveiling starts a new challenge, an amazing challenge. I am much more motivated than ever to start this season. I have prepared well physically and I feel good mentally too. This year we have high hopes with the new M1 because in 2014 we found at the end a good base and we could fight for the podium regularly during the second half of the season.
I am convinced that this year things will change and both Yamaha and I will put all our efforts to try to achieve the goal that is simple: to fight for the title. Last year many things happened but I’ve also learned a lot and I think we can compensate and make a great year. I’m waiting to kick off the coming season in Qatar!“


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