Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi put up a fierce fight today to score a double podium finish in the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Lorenzo marked his return to fitness in style, taking a stunning second at the legendary ‘Brickyard’. Starting from third on the grid, the Spaniard initially dropped back to sixth place in the bunch up of riders on turn two before cutting back through the pack to take his place as a key protagonist of the race.

Teammate Rossi also made a stunning return to form after the summer break. The Doctor had an electrifying start, climbing four places from the second row of the grid to take the lead in the second corner from Andrea Dovizioso. On lap three his teammate Lorenzo arrived at the back of Marc Marquez and together they closed down the gap to the leaders. Within a few laps the tension reached fever pitch as the four rivals came within touching distance as they exchanged places numerous times.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo are delighted to announce that they have signed a new two-year agreement that sees the Mallorcan complete the Movistar Yamaha line up for the next two seasons. The agreement realises Lorenzo’s wish to continue his premier class career with Yamaha, extending the relationship from seven to nine years. Both Yamaha and Lorenzo are confident that the partnership has the potential to deliver a third title and will continue to work towards this goal.

Lin Jarvis

Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing
I am very happy we have reached an agreement for Jorge to continue as a Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider. The new agreement extends Jorge’s seven-year partnership with Yamaha. He started with us as a rookie back in 2008 and together we achieved many great results including 31 GP victories and two MotoGP Rider World Champion titles in 2010 and 2012. The 2014 season has been a tough one for Jorge so far but I am hoping that the confirmation of this new agreement will give him the peace of mind to be able to focus 100% of his energy on the remaining races. Last year we saw what he was able to do when the going was tough and he was fighting back from mid-season injuries so we know that the potential is there for a strong second half to the 2014 season. For 2015 and beyond we have no doubt that Jorge will be a strong title contender and we will do our very best to provide him with the materials and the support he needs to be able to realize our shared ambitions.”

After a four-week summer break Movistar Yamaha MotoGP returns to the USA to kick off the second half of the MotoGP season with the Indianapolis Grand Prix this weekend.

Valentino Rossi enjoyed a successful first half of the season, including some exhilarating battles. The Doctor fought hard with rivals in Qatar, Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya, securing five podiums. Rossi returns recharged from his holiday and intends to maintain his competitive edge for the rest of the year.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a challenging start to the season but kept his head down and gradually returned to form. His season’s highlights have included the thrilling battle in Mugello and his strong races in Argentina and Germany. The summer break has given Lorenzo time to recover both physically and mentally, leaving him ready to give his all the coming nine races.

Thanks to a solid start of the season Rossi has 141 championship points, putting him in third place in the standings, just seven points behind Dani Pedrosa in second. Lorenzo is motivated to continue moving up the leaderboard. He is currently fifth in the championship standings, with a gap of a mere two points to Andrea Dovizioso in fourth.

Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to announce an agreement has been reached with Dani Pedrosa that will see the Spanish rider remain in the factory Honda team for a further two years, until the end of 2016.

Dani Pedrosa, who currently lies third (level on points with second place Valentino Rossi) in the current FIM Road Racing World Championship season approaching the halfway point, will extend his contract with Honda, with whom he has raced since his debut in the World Championship in 2001. Dani, three-time World Champion (2003 in 125cc, 2004 and 2005 in 250cc) debuted in MotoGP in 2006 in the Repsol Honda Team, claiming the Rookie of the Year title and fifth position in the Championship. He has been both second second and third in the premier class on three occasions.

Dani Pedrosa

"I'm very happy to be able to announce my renewal with the Repsol Honda Team, and grateful to Honda for the trust they have shown in me for a further two years. It's the best way for me to continue in my racing career, together with the company I was with in my very first race. I am very excited to give my 100% and continue to work together with everyone at Honda Racing Corporation"

As his manager is currently working on contracts for 2015, Jorge Lorenzo is keeping a positive outlook and is hoping to remain with Yamaha. Jorge Lorenzo has been a Yamaha rider since 2008 and has only ridden for them in the premier class.

His present contract ends at the end of the 2014 season. Lorenzo keeps positive when asked why there seems to be some hesitation for Yamaha to re up with the 2012 MotoGP champion.

Jorge Lorenzo admits that it is about the money. The rumor mill surrounding the MotoGP camp is a buzz as some are suspecting that Jorge Lorenzo is talking with another manufacturer possibly from Italy.

The 2015 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup application period will open soon and talented young riders are being invited to apply for selection, with candidates from Australia and New Zealand also eligible for participation for the second staging of the competition.

Potential entrants from Asia, Australia and New Zealand have from 1st August 2014 to 5th September 2014 to apply.

The Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup is an exciting youth development competition, which was launched for 2014, acting as a feeder series to the world of motorcycle racing. The 2015 project expands and aims to give riders from Asia, Australia and New Zealand a formal path into competitive road racing.

Run by Dorna, the organisers of the MotoGP™ World Championship and the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, as well as co-organizer of the MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup, the competition provides a spotlight for the most talented young riders in the region.

Unbeaten Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) and team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) dominated a unique MotoGP race at Sachsenring this afternoon, scoring their third one-two result of the 2014 season.

Marquez’s win was his ninth from nine races, a remarkable achievement from the 21-year-old former Moto2 and 125 World Champion. So far, only two riders have won more than nine consecutive premier-class wins: Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta), who won all ten races of the 1968 500 season, and Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda), who won ten successive victories in the 1997 500 World Championship.

Today’s race started in confusing conditions after a light rain shower moments before the start, with most riders choosing to start the warm-up lap on rain tires, then realizing that slicks would be better for the race. They therefore had to swap to their ‘dry bikes’ and then start the race from pit lane once the rest of the riders had sped past into the first turn. Only nine riders started from their assigned positions on the grid.

Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz recently visited Japan to take part in the official test for the 2014 Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka 8-Hours. Schwantz, who last year finished third at Suzuka riding for Team Kagayama, is part of the Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance Legend Racing Team and will ride alongside his 1986 Suzuka 8-Hour partner Satoshi Tsujimoto and Suzuki Moto GP test rider Nobuatsu Aoki.

The Texan also visited Suzuki headquarters in Hamamatsu prior to the test and was met by Representative Director and Executive Vice President, Mr. Yasuhito Harayama and Suzuki MotoGP R&D staff at Suzuki Plaza adjoining the main office, where Schwantz talked about his enthusiasm for the upcoming Suzuka 8-Hour event at the end of this month.

Said Schwantz: “In the Suzuka 8-Hour race in 1986, I finished third with Tsujimoto. I remember that he and I managed fairly similar lap-times, and as we were both fast, we were good enough to win. But so many things happen in a long race like Suzuka and it didn’t quite happen. Now it is good to be back together again after 28 years.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi rode impressively this afternoon to take fifth during an unpredictable race at the Assen TT. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo briefly led the race, but later fell back after a tyre change, finishing in 13th place.



There was uncertainty before the start of the Dutch GP, with the riders already on the starting grid when the race was delayed due to the rainy conditions. It was finally declared a wet race and two extra sighting laps were given.



Rossi initially went out on slicks but decided last-minute to change to wets after the warm-up lap. Though this meant he had to start the race from pit lane, the setback didn’t hold him back for long and he was quick to move up the order, reaching 13th by lap three. At the end of lap six chaos ensued again as the track started to form a dry line and half of the riders came into the pits for another tyre change. Rossi dived into the pits with the first group, rejoining the race in tenth position. He was quick to find a good rhythm and closed the gap of 2.325s to Pol Espargaro, Carl Crutchlow, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl over the next six laps. The Doctor then only took another three laps to move up to fifth place. He was consistently closing on Aleix Espagaro in fourth, but there were not enough laps, leaving him to hold fifth at the line.



Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a good start, the Spaniard moving up from ninth to sixth in the first lap. Having found a good wet pace, he threatening to break into the top five when changing weather again disrupted the race. Lorenzo made the change to a dry bike and having returned in 17th was able to move up several positions to 13th by the flag.



After yet another thrilling race in Catalunya a fortnight ago the team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP arrive in Assen. The last round saw Valentino Rossi fight a hard battle for a well-deserved second place and Jorge Lorenzo displayed his trademark ‘Por Fuera’ pass for the delighted Spanish crowd. Both riders are keen on another chance to show their fighting spirit at the TT Assen this Saturday.



Rossi looks forward to continuing his battles during the eighth round of the championship staged at one of his most successful circuits. The Italian, who currently holds second place in the championship standings, has won at the TT Circuit Assen a total of eight times, six of these victories being in the MotoGP class.


Teammate Lorenzo also has a good track record at the TT circuit, which is considered to be "the cathedral" of motorcycling. The Spaniard has won at this circuit four times in total across all MotoGP Championship classes (125cc, 250cc and MotoGP). Lorenzo will try to push this total up to five with some help of the small set up changes made during the post-Catalunya IRTA Test and subsequent private Aragon test to improve the acceleration and the stability of his bike.