From a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: FIAT YAMAHA PAIR PLAN IMPRESSIVE OPENING NIGHT IN QATAR The all-new Fiat Yamaha pairing of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo begin their assault on the 2008 MotoGP World Championship firmly in the spotlight this weekend as the new season gets underway beneath the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. The 60th season of the world’s oldest motorsport series kicks off with an historic night race, the first in Grand Prix history, and Rossi and Lorenzo will be amongst no fewer than eleven past and present FIM World Champions looking to claim motorcycling’s biggest prize. For Rossi the new campaign represents a second opportunity to reclaim the crown he held for five consecutive seasons until 2006, with the Italian having undergone an intense winter programme of physical training and MotoGP testing. As well as working on improvements with the engine of his Yamaha YZR-M1, Rossi has also been adapting to a change of tyre manufacturer and he is hoping to reap the fruit of his hard work in the dark desert landscape of Doha, where he has already celebrated victory on two previous occasions. A repeat on Sunday night would be a good omen for the 29-year-old, who has won the opening race on each of the five occasions he has won the title. A top three finish would make him the first rider ever to reach 100 premier-class podiums. At just 20 years of age Lorenzo will be the youngest rider on the grid in Qatar, although he is unlikely to be fazed. The 250cc World Champion has been on pole position for the quarter-litre race there for the past three years and has taken victory for the last two a clean sweep he had already managed as a precocious teenager in the 125cc class in 2004. The Mallorcan will also be buoyed by some impressive winter form on his new 800cc Yamaha, culminating with the fastest overall lap time at the final preseason test at Losail just a few days ago. That crucial two-night session also provided the circuit organizers with the opportunity to try out their incredible lighting system with the full complement of MotoGP riders on track. With 3,600 light fixtures using 250, 1500 and 2500-watt bulbs, the system needs 13 megawatt generators to produce the required 5.4 million watts of power creating enough light to cover an area equivalent to 70 football pitches. The bulbs are fixed on 1000 poles with mounting heights from 3-36 metres, all linked together by almost 500 kilometres of wire and supported by 300,000 kilos of concrete. Valentino Rossi “RELAXED AND READY” “Firstly speaking about the night race, after the last test I am quite relaxed about this. I think they have done an excellent job with the lights and it’s really true that you can ride just the same as you can by day. The biggest problem is of course the temperature, because it’s very cold by night and this makes our work, especially with the tyres, much harder. Generally I’m very happy and excited that we have finally reached the first race. It’s been a long time since Valencia and I am definitely ready to start a new challenge. Yamaha have worked very hard over the winter and our new bike is very good; of course there are some things still to work on and we did have some issues to contend with at the last test, but I am confident that we are in good shape overall. I am very happy with my tyres as well and now I just want to get started. We have a big task ahead of us but I know that my team and everyone at Yamaha are up to the job.” Jorge Lorenzo “A NEW CHALLENGE” “I was very excited before the last test to see what it was like racing at night, and to start with it was quite strange, as I expected! After a short time however I was used to it and really there is hardly any difference from the day. I did find that riding at night makes you feel strangely ‘alone’ with your bike and therefore you have to be extra alert and concentrated. I think the one thing that might be difficult in the race is the shadows, and not becoming confused by other riders’ ones, but I think it’s going to be fun. In Qatar I was very happy with the work we did and this was the perfect way to end a long winter of testing. Compared to how I was when I first rode the M1 in Valencia, I think I have really improved a lot. It’s been hard work and of course I still have a lot to learn, but I think we’re starting the season in as good a shape as I hoped. I am new to this and I don’t know what to expect from the first race, but I just hope to do my best and then I will be happy.” Davide Brivio “LET’S GET STARTED!” “As far as the light is concerned, after one hour testing things seemed to be normal. We got used to the new conditions very quickly and everything worked well so we are not expecting problems for the race. As Valentino said, the biggest problem for us is the temperature but this is the same for everyone so we just have to do our best in the circumstances. Our pre-season in general has gone very well; Valentino was very fast in Sepang and Jerez and he has improved as expected each test as we become more used to working with the tyres and as we have improved the settings for the new bike. We had some unexpected problems in Qatar and therefore we will have to make the most of the four hours of practice to fix those, but we have some ideas and I am confident we will be ready. The practice is finally over and everyone is looking forward now to getting started.” Daniele Romagnoli “AN EXCITING DEBUT” “Jorge adapted very quickly to the different conditions and he rode very well in Qatar. To finish the test fastest has given him a lot of confidence and I think he’s in the best possible shape to start the season. He has worked very hard over this winter and has improved a huge amount from when he first started. At times it’s been hard for him as expected but he has always worked at 100% so well done to him. In Qatar he was very consistent and his race simulation was also good, so there is no question that he is ready to compete in his first ever MotoGP race. All of us in the team are really excited about finally seeing him race on his Yamaha debut.” Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 29 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 88 (61 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 192 (132 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 49 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Jorge Lorenzo: Information Age: 20 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc) GP starts: 94 (48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc) World Championships: 2 x 250cc Losail: Lap Record C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1’56.528 Losail: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1’55.002 Grand Prix Results: Losail 2007 1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43’2.788 2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +2.838 3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +8.530 Results Jorge Lorenzo (250cc): Losail 2007 1. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia 40’23.753 (250cc) More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: FIAT Yamaha Pair Plan Impressive Opening Night in Qatar The all-new Fiat Yamaha pairing of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo begin their assault on the 2008 MotoGP World Championship firmly in the spotlight this weekend as the new season gets underway beneath the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. The 60th season of the world’s oldest motorsport series kicks off with an historic night race, the first in Grand Prix history, and Rossi and Lorenzo will be amongst no fewer than eleven past and present FIM World Champions looking to claim motorcycling’s biggest prize. For Rossi the new campaign represents a second opportunity to reclaim the crown he held for five consecutive seasons until 2006, with the Italian having undergone an intense winter programme of physical training and MotoGP testing. As well as working on improvements with the engine of his Yamaha YZR-M1, Rossi has also been adapting to a change of tyre manufacturer and he is hoping to reap the fruit of his hard work in the dark desert landscape of Doha, where he has already celebrated victory on two previous occasions. A repeat on Sunday night would be a good omen for the 29-year-old, who has won the opening race on each of the five occasions he has won the title. A top three finish would make him the first rider ever to reach 100 premier-class podiums. At just 20 years of age Lorenzo will be the youngest rider on the grid in Qatar, although he is unlikely to be fazed. The 250cc World Champion has been on pole position for the quarter-litre race there for the past three years and has taken victory for the last two – a clean sweep he had already managed as a precocious teenager in the 125cc class in 2004. The Mallorcan will also be buoyed by some impressive winter form on his new 800cc Yamaha, culminating with the fastest overall lap time at the final preseason test at Losail just a few days ago. That crucial two-night session also provided the circuit organizers with the opportunity to try out their incredible lighting system with the full complement of MotoGP riders on track. With 3,600 light fixtures using 250, 1500 and 2500-watt bulbs, the system needs 13 megawatt generators to produce the required 5.4 million watts of power – creating enough light to cover an area equivalent to 70 football pitches. The bulbs are fixed on 1000 poles with mounting heights from 3-36 metres, all linked together by almost 500 kilometres of wire and supported by 300,000 kilos of concrete. Valentino Rossi – “Relaxed and Ready” “Firstly speaking about the night race, after the last test I am quite relaxed about this. I think they have done an excellent job with the lights and it’s really true that you can ride just the same as you can by day. The biggest problem is of course the temperature, because it’s very cold by night and this makes our work, especially with the tyres, much harder. Generally I’m very happy and excited that we have finally reached the first race. It’s been a long time since Valencia and I am definitely ready to start a new challenge. Yamaha have worked very hard over the winter and our new bike is very good; of course there are some things still to work on and we did have some issues to contend with at the last test, but I am confident that we are in good shape overall. I am very happy with my tyres as well and now I just want to get started. We have a big task ahead of us but I know that my team and everyone at Yamaha are up to the job.” Jorge Lorenzo – “A New Challenge” “I was very excited before the last test to see what it was like racing at night, and to start with it was quite strange, as I expected! After a short time however I was used to it and really there is hardly any difference from the day. I did find that riding at night makes you feel strangely ‘alone’ with your bike and therefore you have to be extra alert and concentrated. I think the one thing that might be difficult in the race is the shadows, and not becoming confused by other riders’ ones, but I think it’s going to be fun. In Qatar I was very happy with the work we did and this was the perfect way to end a long winter of testing. Compared to how I was when I first rode the M1 in Valencia, I think I have really improved a lot. It’s been hard work and of course I still have a lot to learn, but I think we’re starting the season in as good a shape as I hoped. I am new to this and I don’t know what to expect from the first race, but I just hope to do my best and then I will be happy.” Davide Brivio – “Let’s Get Started!” “As far as the light is concerned, after one hour testing things seemed to be normal. We got used to the new conditions very quickly and everything worked well so we are not expecting problems for the race. As Valentino said, the biggest problem for us is the temperature but this is the same for everyone so we just have to do our best in the circumstances. Our pre-season in general has gone very well; Valentino was very fast in Sepang and Jerez and he has improved as expected each test as we become more used to working with the tyres and as we have improved the settings for the new bike. We had some unexpected problems in Qatar and therefore we will have to make the most of the four hours of practice to fix those, but we have some ideas and I am confident we will be ready. The practice is finally over and everyone is looking forward now to getting started.” Daniele Romagnoli – “An Exciting Debut” “Jorge adapted very quickly to the different conditions and he rode very well in Qatar. To finish the test fastest has given him a lot of confidence and I think he’s in the best possible shape to start the season. He has worked very hard over this winter and has improved a huge amount from when he first started. At times it’s been hard for him as expected but he has always worked at 100% so well done to him. In Qatar he was very consistent and his race simulation was also good, so there is no question that he is ready to compete in his first ever MotoGP race. All of us in the team are really excited about finally seeing him race on his Yamaha debut.” Valentino Rossi Information: Age: 29 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha GP victories: 88 (61 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 192 (132 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 49 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Jorge Lorenzo Information: Age: 20 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc) GP starts: 94 (48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc) World Championships: 2 x 250cc Losail: Lap Record C. Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1’56.528 Losail: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2007, 1’55.002 Grand Prix Results: Losail 2007 1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 43’2.788 2. V.Rossi (Yamaha) +2.838 3. D.Pedrosa (Honda) +8.530 Results Jorge Lorenzo (250cc): Losail 2007 1. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia 40’23.753 (250cc)