Earlier in the week Yamaha revealed its 2011 MotoGP livery, with Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo the men that will be vying for dominance astride the 2011 Yamaha YZR-M1 race bike.
And what of the race bike? It's the last of its breed, like most of the 800cc prototype motorcycles in the MotoGP paddock, as rule changes in 2012 will see the return of 1000cc machines.
What this means is that the 2011 bike has only been mildly tweaked in the engine department, as the research and development dollars are being spent on the litre-class 2012 technology. After all, the major factory teams will most likely be binning their 2011 engines after this season in favour of the torque-laden 1000cc mills.
Yamaha has released virtually no info on the mechanical changes to its bike, but has revealed that the engine has been reworked.
However Yamaha has enhanced the chassis of the 2011 YZR-M1, which is already seeing JL and Ben Spies recording some good times on the test track. While the second day of testing at Sepang this week saw Honda blitz the field with the three fastest times (Stoner, followed by Pedrosa and Dovizioso), Ben Spies was fourth fastest ahead of team mate Jorge Lorenzo, which suggests the new bike will remain at the pointy end of the field.
Whatever happens, the 2011 MotoGP championship is shaping up to be a sensational season and though Honda has it's three-man team and Ducati has nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, the Yamaha Factory Racing team will no doubt be a regular team on the podium.
Yamaha YZR-M1 tech specs:
- Engine: Liquid cooled Crossplane crankshaft inline four-cylinder, four stroke
- Power: Over 200 horsepower (147KW)
- Top speed: In excess of 320kmh
- Transmission: Six-speed cassette-type gearbox, with alternative gear ratios available
- Chassis: Aluminium twin tube delta box, multi-adjustable steering geometry/wheelbase/ride height. Aluminium swingarm
- Suspension: Ohlins upside down front forks and Ohlins rear shock, all adjustable for pre-load, high and low-speed compression and rebound damping. Alternative rear suspension links available
- Wheels: MFR Forged Magnesium 16.5 front, 16.5 rear
- Tyres: Bridgestone, 16.5 front, 16.5 in rear, available as slick, intermediate, wet and hand-cut tyres
- Brakes: Brembo, two 320mm carbon front discs, two four-piston calipers. Single 220mm stainless steel rear disc, twin-piston caliper
- Weight: 150 kg. In accordance with FIM regulations.
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