With anticipation building ahead of the start of the new 1000cc MotoGP World Championship era in 2012, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team unveiled its exciting new livery at the Jerez circuit in Spain earlier today.
Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso showed off the new design, incorporating the instantly recognisable logo of title sponsor Monster Energy, on the eve of the final pre-season test session, which commences in Jerez tomorrow (Friday).
British rider Crutchlow and Italian Dovizioso have enjoyed a successful pre-season campaign so far, with both posting fast and competitive times during two test sessions at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The impressive performance of the new Yamaha YZR-M1 1000cc machine means Dovizioso and Crutchlow are both optimistic they can fight for top five finishes when the new sea son gets underway in Qatar on April 8.
Cal Crutchlow #35:
“2012 will be my second season in the MotoGP World Championship and the second season with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team and I am really looking forward to it. The team has been working great all through the winter and Yamaha has done a fantastic with the new YZR-M1. Development never stops and I know Yamaha is continuing to work incredibly hard, so I am convinced I can have a much stronger season in 2012 with their support behind me. I learned a lot in my first season and although I still have much less experience than most of my rivals, my target is to be much closer to the front. I have already shown in testing that the 1000cc bike suits my style better and I am able set some very competitive lap times. The level of competition though is once again unbelievably high, but if I can be close to the factory bikes and be top independent team rider, I will be very happy.”
Andrea Dovizioso #4:
“This season is a really important one for me and I am looking forward to going racing after a long winter. We can see that Yamaha has done a very good job with the new YZR-M1 and I believe we will be really competitive. I found a very good feeling with the bike at the last test in Sepang but I still have a lot of work to do to fully understand it because it is completely new for me. But we can clearly see that the Yamaha is a bike with a lot of potential, so I'm really c onfident for the season. At the same time though we will only see our true potential after the first race in Qatar. I have a lot of motivation for this season after finishing third in the World Championship last year, but there are a lot of riders capable of fighting for the title."
Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“Everybody in the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team is looking forward to 2012 with a lot of excitement. I believe we have one of the strongest rider line-ups in the history of Tech3 and I am confident Andrea and Cal will deliver some fantastic results. Andrea was third in the overall standings in 2011 and he has already demonstrated by finishing third at the last test in Sepang that he has exceptional talent and he will be very strong on the new Yamaha. Cal has been outstanding throughout the winter and he is clearly riding with a lot of confidence on the 1000cc bike. WE are optimistic that he will be consistently challenging inside the top five. We can aim to see Andrea and Cal fighting for the top five thanks to the incredible support the Tech3 Team receives from Yamaha. I must congratulate Yamaha's technical staff on the fantastic job they have done with the new YZR-M1. Tech3 is honoured to continue its long collaboration with Yamaha and we look forward to another successful season. I am also thrilled that we were able to sign a new three-year agreement with Monster Energy and continue the close relationship with our valued partners like the Black & Decker Group, including their brands Stanley and DeWalt. I'm also proud to continue our technical partnership with Motul and LeoVince and co llectively we can't wait for the new season to start in Qatar.”
source: Yamaha Tech Press Release
