Yamaha confirm 2011 talks with Valentino Rossi

Yamaha has confirmed talks have started to keep nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi beyond the 2010 MotoGP world championship.

With endless speculation linking the 30-year-old with a big money switch to Ducati when his current Yamaha deal expires next season, Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis told MCN that if Rossi raced on in 2011 that he is confident the would the Italian will be on a YZR-M1, Jarvis said: “I’ll certainly do my best to make sure he’s on a Yamaha. We’ve already started talking about the future so we have already begun the process.

“We know that it is a free market and all the top four riders become available next year, but I’m hopeful Valentino will stay with Yamaha until the end of his career, whenever that will be.”