Yamaha satisfied new 1000 is competitive

Yamaha is confident its new factory YZR-M1 1000cc machine is competitive to challenge Casey Stoner and Honda for the 2012 MotoGP world championship crown.

Stoner and Honda have dominated this year’s winter testing schedule so far, with the Aussie topping the timesheets in both Sepang tests in Malaysia recently.

Stoner will start the new 1000cc era in Qatar on April 8 as a red-hot favourite but the new Yamaha YZR-M1 has also impressed during the off-season.

Former world champion Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies have both praised Yamaha for the performance of the new YZR-M1 after working through a range of new engine, chassis, electronics and gearbox parts in winter testing.

Lorenzo believes the 2012 Yamaha is going to much more competitive against Honda’s new RC213V after he struggled to match Stoner’s pace during the final 800cc world championship campaign last season.

Lorenzo finished fourth in last week’s second Sepang test and told MCN the gap to Honda was now closer.

And Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis is also confident the YZR-M1 can be a more serious challenger in 2012 after Lorenzo and Spies claimed just four victories between them last season.

Jarvis told MCN: “It is too early to make any predictions as racing is a strange game but having said that we are happy.

“You never know when you start a new season whether you will be in the zone or if you are off the pace and running behind the clock to get competitive. I think what we’ve seen to be at the top end of the timesheets is a good sign.

“To also have Cal (Crutchlow) up in that zone is confirmation of the good base level of the bike. I’m quite optimistic about the season. Not optimistic as in ‘this is great it looks like we are going to win.’

“But I’m optimistic because it looks like there is going to be competitive racing and we appear to be competitive and level with Honda, which was not the case a year ago.”

For seven pages of coverage from last week’s Sepang test, see the March 7 issue of Motor Cycle News.