Yamaha to unveil colours

Yamaha will only officially unveil its 2007 factory MotoGP livery at the final winter test in Jerez next month.

It still remains a mystery though whether Valentino Rossi will have a sponsor as he aims to win back bike racing’s top title.

A Yamaha spokesman told MCN at the first day of testing in Sepang, in January 2007, that Rossi’s bike would continue to look as it did today for the next two tests back in Malaysia and Qatar.

Teams don’t have to officially unveil their ’07 paint schemes until the IRTA test in Jerez which starts on February 23, giving Yamaha another four weeks to find a sponsor or run in corporate colours for the forthcoming season.

The spokesman said: “Everything is still open. We have several interested parties and it’s now a matter of internal discussion.  

“There are some Italian companies interested and some from outside Italy.

“Discussions with some sponsors have gone on to the second stage but there will be no official until the Jerez test next month. But we are not in a panic or desperately hunting sponsors.”

Yamaha have been linked with a variety of sponsors since Camel announced its much expected withdrawal before Christmas. 

Ever the man to play on such a story, Rossi’s bike appeared with a sticker that read ‘Polleria Osvaldo’, which was the name of the chicken he carried in 1998 after a 250 victory.

It was mocking Italian press reports that have linked Yamaha with a variety of different backers and Rossi said: “Everybody is saying that Yamaha and Valentino can’t get a sponsor. 

“I’ve been reading that people said this because I don’t want to give my image rights to a sponsor. 

“It’s so hard to get a sponsor so I got this one to help Yamaha,” said the former world champion. 

In Sepang Rossi had a black bike emblazoned with yellow Yamaha stickers while team-mate Colin Edwards ran red stickers on his new 800 machine.