Lin Jarvis: “With Valentino, Ducati Will Be a Formidable Opponent”
The boss of Yamaha Motor Racing gave an interview to Michael Turco, a specialist MSc in Motorcycle Grand Prix Review, during which the Briton was already planning on next season. Extracts.
Lin Jarvis: “With Valentino, Ducati will be a formidable opponent”
Lin Jarvis between Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.
(…) “After seven seasons as successful, do not you fear to arrive today at the end of a cycle?
I’m not saying the result will be easy, but we have no reason to be really worried. Rossi is true that before we were a bit lost. In fact, Yamaha has gone astray after the accident at the end of 1993 Wayne Rainey. Confidence and passion then disappeared, and it took over ten years to found the right path. That said, since 2003, MotoGP has become a very important part of business Yamaha, and I am confident that we will not repeat the mistakes of the past. I’m not so far as it will be easy because the competition is fierce. Valentino, Ducati will be a formidable opponent. And we see Honda in recent months, the result of investments that were made. Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso will form next year quite a team. It will not relax if you want to stay on top.
Do you think that Jorge will be able to take over from Rossi in terms of development of the new M1?
Valentino is a single driver. It has, I believe, a talent above all others in terms of developing a new bike. That’s why he has won until now has nine world championship titles. Now, Ferrari has survived the departure of Schumacher. Yamaha has also got some world titles before the arrival of Rossi … We have good engineers, and Jorge is not alone. We can also count on next year Ben and Colin (…)
All teams are struggling to find budgets, factory bikes are always more expensive … How do you see the future of MotoGP?
I think the FIM should do more to take effective measures to reduce costs. I also think we should look for the race organization, to countries that demonstrate a real interest in Grand Prix and it would be possible to find partners financial. I am thinking in Indonesia, where MotoGP is now the most watched sport after football. A total of 14 million viewers who follow the races. Yamaha sold there this year 3.5 million motorcycles. For the rest, I do not think the plants will disinvest Grand Prix as some fear. MotoGP is a major showcase for all manufacturers. “