[kropotkin thinks...] - Furusawa: "Valentino Is A Very Special Rider For Yamaha"

[Ninjette Newsbot]

If you enjoyed reading this article, please click here to view it on Kropotkin's site, MotoGP Matters.

-----------------

After winning his 7th MotoGP World Championship, his 9th world title in total, and his 4th for Yamaha, Yamaha's bosses were naturally effusive in their praise for Valentino Rossi. At a press conference after the race, which featured Yamaha Racing's Managing Director Lin Jarvis alongside Yamaha's MotoGP project leader Masao Furusawa, the pair heaped praise on the Italian. "Bringing Valentino over to Yamaha has been the best thing we've ever done perhaps in Yamaha's racing history," Jarvis told reporters. "It was a great decision and together we make a great team."

Both men had a difficult balance to strike, however. Rossi's 9th World Championship was rightly celebrated, and both Jarvis and Furusawa gave him the plaudits he deserved, but both men also had to be careful not to tread too heavily on Jorge Lorenzo's toes. Jarvis alluded to Yamaha's strength in depth, telling reporters that "having two riders competing for the championship is quite stressful for everybody concerned. He praised the attitude of both Rossi and Lorenzo at achieving the title, saying "I think the behaviour and maturity of the two riders has been really special."

But both Jarvis and Furusawa acknowledged the special place Rossi still holds within the team, and emphasized that they want to keep Rossi inside Yamaha for as long as possible. "I don’t think I can convince Valentino to continue racing (after 2010), but I’ll certainly do my best to make sure he’s on a Yamaha if he does," Jarvis said, while Masao Furusawa was even clearer. "My goal in MotoGP is winning with Valentino, and maybe one day Valentino will stop in MotoGP, but I’d like to ask him to complete his MotoGP career with Yamaha," Furusawa said.

read more