Yamaha unveils 2016 YZR-M1 MotoGP bike

THE factory Movistar Yamaha team have unveiled their 2016 MotoGP bikes in Barcelona today. 

With the aim of repeating their 2015 success, Yamaha's Managing Director Lin Jarvis is adamant that nothing is to change, not even a dividing wall in the garage, and the focus is on the Championship title. 

'There’s no reason to put a wall in the garage,' said Jarvis. 'One of our strengths is the fact that the team work really well together, the riders are individual competitors against themselves but the team of mechanics and engineers all work really well together.

'If we put a barrier between them it will be to the deficit of the team, the riders and the engineers. This is a thing of the past and as I said last year, we understand both riders are competing against each other.

'As Jorge said, if Valentino is his main competitor for the championship then it’s a good thing, it means Yamaha are at the front. That’s our main goal: to beat our competitors.'

It is a year of changes for MotoGP riders and teams alike as new technical regulations are introduced, including common software and a change from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres.

The changes in software and tyres present manufacturers in the MotoGP World Championship with a big challenge. Factories are currently working tirelessly to prepare the bikes for the first race of the season in Qatar to abide by these new regulations.

Yamaha's MotoGP group leader, Kouichi Tsuji, was clear on the challenges during the factory team’s launch: 'We always develop the bike to win races. Now, we work and develop the bike to make the tyre perform as well as possible.

'That means the biggest challenge will be the common software and the tyre, how we can setup both together to make the tyre perform as much as possible, that’s a new challenge for us.'

The team and riders are starting their final preparations for the first test of 2016 which will be held at the Sepang International Circuit on the first of February. Tests will also be held in Philip Island and in Qatar before the season kicks off on the 20th of March under the floodlights.