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Scenes from the 2017 Yamaha Official Teams Presentation
NEWS

Colours, hopes and expectations: Yamaha roll out 2017 MXGP, WorldSBK & more

Feb 072017

In the cutting-edge environment of Yamaha’s MotoGP workshop near Monza, Italy, Yamaha Motor Europe unveiled the wealth of their racing teams (sixteen squads) for the coming season and the all-encompassing efforts chasing glory in MXGP, Motocross, Enduro, Rally, World Superbike and Endurance.

Scenes from the 2017 Yamaha Official Teams Presentation
One of the main stars to take to the stage and talk about a racing campaign that is already well underway was Dakar athlete Adrien Van Beveren. The Frenchman had flown to Italy only hours after finishing second in Europe’s biggest Beach race, the Enduropale at Le Touquet, and spoke about his run to fourth place in just his second Dakar rally and coming to close to a dream podium.

“It was an amazing adventure with a lot of different conditions to conquer and a lot of emotions,” said ‘AVB’. “My goal is to win that race in the future.”

 

Romain Febvre at the MotoGP workshop at Gerno di Lesmo
Particular attention was paid to the factory Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP team of Romain Febvre and Jeremy Van Horebeek; the former aiming to regain his FIM Motocross World Championship crown won in 2015 and the latter currently turning heads with his form as runner-up in the Italian series during the pre-season period.

“That’s the aim for both myself and the team,” Febvre said. “We have already been working so much for that. We’ve had two pre-season races and they have gone well and now we’ll go to Qatar and see what we can do.”

Romain Febvre at the MotoGP workshop at Gerno di Lesmo
The motocross line-up was heavily stacked for Yamaha with the Kemea team of Benoit Paturel (3rd in MX2 in 2016), Brent Van Doninck and Alvin Ostlund signifying a formidable line-up in the MX2 division for the forthcoming nineteen Grand Prix series.

“We have met our targets for the last two years and now we just have the last step. I think there are a lot of good riders to face in MX2 and for sure some young ones who will push very hard,” said Paturel, tipped as one of the main runners for the ’17 Gold Plate. “We will do our best.”

Yamaha MXGP Team riders at Gerno di Lesmo
Also part of the formalities was four-times FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Kiara Fontanesi who will be part of a Monster Energy triumvirate expected to squabble over the 2017 crown; the Italian’s rivals will be brandmate Courtney Duncan and reigning number one Livia Lancelot with Holland Nancy Van der Ven also gunning for Grand Prix spoils.

 

Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark lifted the covers off the race-spec and fully-livered (and sumptuous looking) R1 racebike that will enter a second World Superbike term and hopefully glide from top ten regularity to podium contention. There wasn't much time for a generous international media gathering to salivate over the machinery with the final 2017 test and opening round of WorldSBK only weeks away in Australia and the R1’s freight case was prepped and open for transport to Phillip Island.

 

By the time a copious lunch was served for all in attendance at Gerno di Lesmo there was little doubt as the breadth and ambition on display in Blue. Let the wheels start to turn...

THIS ARTICLE FEATURES:

Kiara Fontanesi at the 2017 pre-season race in Sardinia, Italian Championship round one Kiara Fontanesi

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Alex Lowes at the 2016 World Superbike Gaerne Qatar Round Alex Lowes

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