ROSSI TO SHOWCASE SPECIAL ENEOS COLOUR SCHEME IN SEPANG

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi will ride a special livery YZR-M1 at this weekend‘s Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix to thank JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation for welcoming him at their R&D Center two weeks ago and for their support.

Sepang (Malaysia), 27th October 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi will venture out on the Sepang International Circuit aboard a YZR-M1 with a special livery on Friday October 28th at the start of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix weekend. The Yamaha bike‘s colour scheme will sport orange ENEOS branding on the fairing of the bike to symbolize the Doctor and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s gratitude to JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, the brand owner of ENEOS.

Rossi, Yamaha and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation have a close relationship as highlighted by the Doctor‘s stopover at the JX refinery and R&D Center in Yokohama (Japan) two weeks ago, before heading to the Twin Ring Motegi track for the Japanese Grand Prix.

At the start of Rossi‘s visit he drove the ENEOS wrapped Abarth 500 car to the main entrance of the JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation headquarters, where he was welcomed by Toru Konishi (Vice President, Lubricants Company) and nearly 150 employees holding a special welcome banner. Together they attended a private unveiling of the YZR-M1, to offer the staff a first sneak peek of the special livery that will appear on the Sepang International Circuit this weekend.

Later that afternoon, the Doctor had a chance to “blend” the special oil currently used by his YZR-M1.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation was founded in 1888 and has made it its mission to contribute to the development of a sustainable economy and society through innovations in the areas of energy, resources and materials, with Ethics, Advanced ideas, Relationships with society, Trustworthy products/services and Harmony with the environment (EARTH) as its key values.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation is active in the refining and marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products, importing and selling of gas and coal and supply of electricity. Their products are sold under the brand name “ENEOS” (a wordplay mixing the words “energy” and “neos”, meaning “new” in Greek). A special lubricant developed by JX is used for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP bikes.

VALENTINO ROSSI

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER

This weekend we will use the special livery for my YZR-M1 to look back on the great experience we had two weeks ago. I had fun visiting the JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation’s R&D Center in Yokohama. Not only did I get to meet the people behind the products, which we use for our bikes in MotoGP, but I also got to see how they are made. I was allowed to try and prepare some oil in a doctor‘s coat, which was funny, but I prefer using the product whilst wearing my ’doctor‘s leathers‘ and leave the lubricant science to the specialists! For sure, after meeting the JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation top management and the employees, it is even more special to ride with this livery in Sepang as a way to say ’thank you‘ for their continuous support.

TORU KONISHI

JX NIPPON OIL & ENERGY CORPORATION, VICE PRESIDENT LUBRICANTS

ENEOS have invited 200 customers from Japan and 15 Asian countries to the Malaysia Grand Prix to cheer on the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team. I‘m very excited that Valentino will be riding the ENEOS Special Design Machine at Sepang. I look forward to seeing Valentino‘s victory right in front of us.