Yamaha confirms V4 engine’s Misano MotoGP debut
Yamaha is struggling to beat ‘em, so it’s now set to join ‘em - debuting a new V4 race bike next month.
Yamaha’s hotly anticipated V4 MotoGP machine will make its first official outing next month at Misano.
The new V4-powered M1 prototype will be helmed by Yamaha factory rider Augusto Fernandez, who has been heavily involved in the development and testing of the bike.
According to Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Paolo Pavesio, Fernandez is set to race with the bike. Although, repeated emphasis on the fact that the M1 is a prototype suggests Team Blue is clearly trying to temper expectations.
The Misano round (more formally known as the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera) takes place on 12-14 September. Factory riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins will reportedly also get a chance to put the bike through its paces on the Monday after the grand prix.
Yamaha’s decision to develop a V4 breaks a more than two-decade tradition of sticking to inline fours, even when rivals were switching to other configurations. Though, perhaps the reason for the action is unsurprising; Yamaha’s overall MotoGP performance hasn’t really been where it should be.
“This is an excellent preview and a concrete sign of our commitment to the future,” Pavesio said of the V4 bike’s upcoming debut. “We continue to push with determination to get the best out of every race weekend.”
Comments made by Quartararo recently - who reportedly only stayed with Yamaha because it is developing a V4 - suggest that Pavesio isn’t just talking into the air. Quartararo says that development on the current M1 race bike (which is powered by a good old-fashioned inline four with a crossplane crankshaft) has effectively ceased, with Yamaha turning its full attention to getting its V4 machine properly ready to compete.
Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
