Yamaha MotoGP team were the first in MotoGP to officially unveil their 2017 line-up and livery, with riders Valentino Rossi and new teammate Maverick Vinales getting the season into gear in Madrid on Thursday.

The Italian-based squad traveled to Telefónica headquarters in Spain in the last week of the winter break – before the first Official MotoGP test of 2017 kicks off at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on January 30th.

In the last three seasons, Italian legend and nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi has been a title contender, ending each year runner-up, and is now joined by a new face on the other side of the garage: 2013 Moto3 World Champion Maverick Vimales.
Vinales moves to Yamaha for his third season in the premier class after having impressed on his debut with Team Suzuki Ecstar, including a race win at the British GP at Silverstone last season.

He also went fastest in the first testing for 2017 at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana in November – something that bodes well for the incredible line-up to attempt to defend their status as reigning MotoGP Team World Champions; a title won in 2016 for a seventh time.

Rossi said: “After the winter break, the team launch is always a very exciting time for everybody, not only for us, the riders and the team, but also for the fans. Sincerely, I’m just as happy as they are to start the new season, I have missed riding my bike. The pre-season test in Sepang will be an interesting moment, we will get a good idea of our level and it’s also the first time I’ll get to take the YZR-M1 out on track in its 2017 colours.

"This is the fourth year that Movistar will be our team’s title sponsor. In the last three years, we enjoyed some fantastic battles and great results and this season the target remains the same: to be competitive again and fight for the victory in every race. I have a new strong teammate and I think we can have a lot of fun this season.”

Vinales added: “After the test in Valencia and Malaysia I got off the bike feeling very happy because I was on the level I wanted to be at. The whole Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team can’t wait to start the season because we know we can be at a 100% level and compete at the front.

“Today we revealed the bike and it looks beautiful, I wish I could start riding it right now! When I was a kid, I used to watch Valentino riding his M1 and now I’m here at the team launch, it’s like a dream come true! I’m so happy and motivated and I’m ready to give it my all. I want to thank Yamaha, Movistar and of course the team. They have welcomed me very warmly, so it is a great start to the season already.

“Honestly speaking, I was quite surprised by the family-feel, because on the outside you see a very serious and professional team, but as soon as I went inside the box I felt incredible. I’m really pleased to be here, at Telefónica Headquarters in Madrid, and thanks to everyone for coming to support us. It’s going to be a great year!”

Presenting the 2017 team were Izaskun Ruiz and MotoGP’s Dylan Gray, who welcomed Rossi and Viñales to the stage for a Q&A session.

They were later joined by General Manager of Motorsports Division & YMC MotoGP Group Leader, Kouichi Tsuji, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, Lin Jarvis, and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Team Director, Massimo Meregalli, who went into detail on the technical development of the bike as well as the new rider line-up and its promising prospects. Luis Miguel Gilperez, President of Telefónica España, was also in the spotlight and further explained Movistar’s strategy and its dedication to MotoGP - before it was time to reveal the bike.

The ceremony saw the 2017 Yamaha YZR-M1 revealed in its new colours with a refreshed livery. As well as the new Movistar logo, the Blue Core logo is added as a new design element on the bike, while the deepened Yamaha blue gives the bike a chic finish.

Further revelations include the new Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team logo, with the Movistar ‘M’ in a more prominent role. The deepened collaboration between the two is also reflected in the YZR-M1’s 2017 livery, which features the new Movistar-logo on either side of the fairing and the front of the bike.

Yamaha Factory Racing and Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica’s signed a five-year partnership agreement in the premier class of road racing in 2014, underlined with Movistar becoming the team’s title sponsor. In the past three years Yamaha and Telefónica’s shared values and passion for innovation laid the groundwork for success, resulting in a Triple Crown in 2015 and the Team Title in 2016.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl: “Over the last three years we have demonstrated that our team is very competitive and our partnership with Movistar has delivered great results on and off the track. Movistar and Yamaha are both brands that have a lot of history in the MotoGP World Championship and we are proud that our collaboration is growing stronger each season. It therefore seemed no more than fitting to present the 2017 YZR-M1 at the home of Movistar, the Distrito Telefónica in Madrid.

The bike’s striking new livery features cleaner lines, more blue and a very strong Movistar branding on the fairing. We also unveiled the new enhanced Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team logo symbolizing the partnership between our two companies. We see today not only as the official start of the 2017 season but also the start of a next chapter with our exciting new rider line-up; it is a new beginning and so Movistar’s slogan “We Choose to Make History” is certainly very fitting and one we will strive to live up to.

We have Maverick Vinales joining us as he searches for his first MotoGP class title and Valentino Rossi, who has his eyes set on World Championship title number ten. Both are eager to reach their goals and hungry to win races and most of all have good battles at the front of the pack. With their dedication and the commitment of our engineers and team staff, I’m confident we are in for another exciting and highly competitive season.”

After a year away. The Czech rider returns to the elite category full of determination and excitement to ride his favourite bike, a Ducati
Now that the new year is underway and with a full season ahead of us, what are you asking for from 2017?

I hope to have a competitive bike that works. I am really looking forward to the start of the new season. In the past, when I first arrived in MotoGP, which is six years ago now, it was on a Ducati. It was my favourite bike and to come back on a Ducati makes me really excited to start this new challenge.

How has it been for you to return to the MotoGP paddock?

It is nice to be back. I could speak about this for hours but when I went to World Superbikes it was because I didn't have a good option to stay in MotoGP. But it didn't work out like we hoped and in the end I had to leave the team, I couldn't stay there. During last season we saw that there was an opportunity to return to MotoGP with the Aspar Team and it is what I wanted. This is where I grew up, because I started in the World Championship at 15 years of age. I prefer to be in MotoGP, I think partly because I am more used to it.

As you will know, this won't be your first time on a Ducati - it was the bike you started out with in MotoGP, in 2011 and 2012. How much has the bike changed since then?

It is a different bike. Unfortunately during those two seasons the factory was immersed in making a complete change. During my first season the engine was still part of the chassis. Then in my second season we had an aluminium, normal chassis. So being in the middle of such a big change during that first season, the bike didn't work. This bike is very different, I feel good on it and have more confidence because I know how it will respond. That wasn't the case before.

What would you say are the strong points of the Ducati?

Ducati has always been a factory that produces strong engines, maybe that is the strongest point of the bike. But it is not easy to compare with the rest of the bikes because I have only had four days of tests and one of those was on the GP14. Also not all the riders were at Jerez. It is difficult to make comparisons right now. To me the bike is incredible but it is too soon to answer this question properly.

What is your main goal for this season?

That is a difficult question to answer in January. To put it simply, I would like to have fun out on track. When a rider is having fun, the results usually aren't bad. But right now it is hard to say what a good result is. First place is a good result, but in normal conditions that is a long way off. You could say eleventh place is a good result... but tenth is always better. And what if everybody really improves? Then maybe fifteenth would be a good result. Right now I just want to be happy in my racing and if that happens the results will be good.

Spaniard Alvaro Bautista resumes his relationship with the Aspar Team for a season that will see him compete on board the Ducati GP16
Now that the new year is underway and with a full season ahead of us, what are you asking for from 2017?

I am hoping that in 2017, from the sporting side, I can enjoy riding the bike and racing. I hope to be able to give everything as a rider and get the most out of every circumstance. I am not asking for results because I know that if I can squeeze 100% out of the bike and enjoy myself, the results will come.

The Ducati will be your fourth different MotoGP bike. After your four-day test in November how would you describe it?

The first time I rode the Ducati GP16 it felt easy to handle, in inverted commas, compared to other MotoGP bikes I have ridden. I really like the character of the engine, it is very smooth. I also really like the electronics. I think it is a bike with a lot of potential. It is hard to compare with other bikes because my references have changed over the years as I have gathered experience. On the Suzuki I learnt a lot about MotoGP but it had a different character. I think the Honda is the most similar but the Ducati chassis handles better and it is lighter, I like it more. For me, of all of the bikes I have ridden, I think the Ducati is well balanced.

After your first laps on the bike you will ride in 2017 do you think you will have to change your riding style?

It is hard to answer that right now, I need more laps on the bike. In the tests we have done so far we have learnt something new each time, improved, and raised the bar. I still don't know where I need to improve or where I am at the limit already.

You finished 2016 with a string of top ten finishes; do you think you can keep the run going at the first race of 2017 in Qatar?

I think 2016 was a season of steady growth. The bike arrived in time for the first race and the more we worked on it the more it improved, which allowed me to get results. The base we start from in 2017 is ready to race, we don't need to develop it so it will be easier when we go to each Grand Prix. We can focus on the set-up or tyre performance. I think the objective is to be more prepared and I am confident we can score better results than the ones we finished last season with.

Do you dare to make a prediction for 2017?

I think it will be a fun season, with so many rider changes; especially at the start as riders get used to their bikes, encounter problems, get over them… then there are the tyres, which were decisive last year. If we can get the most out of what we have there is no reason why we won't be up there fighting. To be fighting in the top five would be a good result. It will be difficult but I think it can be a realistic objective.

Former MotoGP star Loris Capirossi ha bee confirmed as member of the race direction The Permanent Bureau of the FIM MotoGP World Championship, composed of Messrs Vito Ippolito, FIM President, and Carmelo Ezpeleta, Chief Executive Officer of Dorna Sports, met on Monday. After that meeting, the boardannounced that Dorna has appointed Loris Capirossi as Dorna representative in Race Direction. The Permanent Bureau announced the composition of the Race Direction as follows: Mike Webb, Race Director (IRTA Representative); Franco Uncini, Grand Prix Safety Officer (FIM Representative); Loris Capirossi (Dorna Representative). Capirossi has raced in the championship between 1990 and 2001, and won tho 125cc titles 90-91. amd one title in 250cc in 1998. His best result in the category came with 3rd place in the championship standing in 2001 and 2006