From a press release issued by Yamaha:

ROSSI VOICES 2004 EXPECTATIONS AT JAPANESE MOTOGP PRESS CONFERENCE

New Yamaha recruit Valentino Rossi represented this year’s Yamaha MotoGP line-up at a press conference held by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) at a hotel in Tokyo on Saturday. Rossi was accompanied on stage by Davide Brivio, Team Director of the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team, YMC Senior Managing Director Takashi Kajikawa, YMC Managing Director Kunihiko Nakajima, and YMC Technology Development Division Manager Masao Furusawa. Much to the delight of the attending local media Japanese TV personality Tokoro George put in a guest appearance, and he and Rossi amused the onlookers with lively talk of racing.

Senior Managing Director Kajikawa summarized the aims of Yamaha’s race activities as a means to nurture in Yamaha employees the “spirit of challenge” that lies at the core of YMC’s corporate culture, and to develop and refine advanced technologies in the highly competitive arena of racing and feed those technologies back into the company’s production models. And finally, to spread awareness of the Yamaha brand worldwide and build its image by continuing to compete at the very highest-level of international motor sports competition.

“2004 is a very important year for us at YMC, being the final year of our current mid-term management plan called “Next 50,” before Yamaha Motor celebrates the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding next year,” explained Mr Kajikawa. “And in the area of motorcycle racing we are undertaking a high-level challenge this season. Part of this includes welcoming Valentino Rossi, who is widely acknowledged as the greatest rider competing today, to the Yamaha team in an all-out effort to win the 2004 MotoGP championship title.

“What we at Yamaha hope to see in Mr. Rossi this year is his tremendous spirit of challenge. The spirit of challenge is something that lies at the very core of Yamaha Motor, and if we can bring together these two spirits this season, it will surely create the kind of Kando that Yamaha is dedicated to as our corporate mission.”

He concluded with the statement, “I would like to promise you that this season you will see Yamaha competing with a passion.”

Development Chief of the YZR-M1 factory machine Mr. Furusawa said, “Until recently our main themes in the development of this machine have been brake control, top speed and traction control, but with the 2004 model YZR-M1 we focused primarily on improving traction control. Meanwhile, with regard to the machine as a whole, we have improved the engine performance, refined the handling with a focus on stability by optimizing the geometry of the chassis, lowered the centre of gravity of the rear arm and optimized the link ratio and also improved the aerodynamics. We have now completed three of our six planned test sessions before the season’s opening round and everything is proceeding well.”

Rossi told the press: “The tests have been going well. There may be some difficult times in the first half of the season, but we will continue to work on the machine’s performance and I promise you I will be standing on the centre step of the podium soon. I hope everyone will be cheering for me.”

After the conference, Tokoro George presented Rossi with a Samurai Set, claiming “Long ago, everyone in Japan used to wear one of these.” In response Rossi presented Tokoro with a Rossi replica helmet, the Japanese entertainer promising that he would wear it as he cheered for Rossi in front of the TV when the season begins.

Rossi will attend the forthcoming Yamaha test at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia on 9,10,11 March.