Alex

The 2011 MX1 vice-champion had a pin inserted in the foot to stabilise the break on Easter Monday in Belgium, the day of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands. Frossard has since been recuperating and felt comfortable enough to throw his leg over the works YZ450FM to ride on Wednesday with a special protective plate inserted in his boot. After some rigorous laps ‘183’ gave his team the thumbs-up. “The operation went well and it wasn’t long before I started to feel good with my foot,” he said. “I was hopeful of going to Italy and was keen to try the bike with the special modification I have in my boot. From the time around the track I knew I would be able to ride at the weekend. I cannot say what my goal will be but I want to get my season moving in the right direction.” Ferris has been riding his YZ250F this week and will use proceedings at Arco di Trento to reignite his assault on the MX2-GP category after a sensation podium at Losail in Qatar for the championship opener. Source www.yamaha-racing.com

In the Supersport class it was Mar-Train Yamaha’s new signing Stuart Easton making the title challenge clear, The YZF-R6 rider taking the chequered flag in the first race, just 0.255 seconds ahead of closest rival Billy McConnell. Easton’s teammate Glenn Irwin was only six seconds behind him over the line in seventh place. The win from Easton places him fourth in the standings ahead of Thruxton in a week’s time, despite a DNF in yesterday’s second Supersport race. James Ellison “It was great to bounce back in the second one from the schoolboy error in the first race as it was really disappointing. I had a bit of a moment at Graham Hill Bend and I thought that was going to be enough for Shakey to try and make a move but we were lucky and held onto it. I really enjoyed being out the front with the other guys and full credit to the Milwaukee Yamaha team as we have had an impressive start to the season.” Stuart Easton “I expected Ben Wilson to be aggressive but I got past him though was always expecting him to lunge through at me, then I heard a Triumph up behind me. I was doing my best to stay consistent and it is so good to win first time back." Source www.yamaha-racing.com.

Valentino Rossi proved he still hasn’t lost his magic in tonight’s race, thrilling fans with a sensational run to claim second on the podium, completing a Yamaha Factory Racing one-two finish with his teammate Lorenzo. Rossi made sure his first race back with Yamaha was one to be remembered, having started from seventh on the grid he quickly moved up to fourth only to mistime a pass on Andrea Dovizioso and drop back to seventh again. By lap eight he was charging back up the field, closing down a gap of over three seconds to catch the podium battle and join the fight for Qatar honours. The nine-time World Champion dispatched fellow Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow and Honda rival Dani Pedrosa before entering into a fantastic duel with MotoGP rookie Marc Marquez in the final laps for second place. Rossi emerged from the battle the victor, crossing the line in second position just under six seconds behind Lorenzo to take 20 Championship points. Jorge Lorenzo 1st “Half an hour before the race I felt a little bit nervous so I had to really concentrate and relax on the grid. I knew it was going to be difficult to open a gap but I had to try, I made a good start and pushed more than 100%. In the beginning it was hard to open the gap as Pedrosa didn’t want to let me get away, he tried to stay with me but after six or seven laps I opened the gap which made me more confident to keep my pace. I’m very happy for Yamaha and happy for Valentino as he has now passed two difficult years.” Valentino Rossi - 2nd “I’m more than happy, very happy indeed because it was my dream to come back with Yamaha. To arrive on the podium at the first race was my target from November and I put all my effort to arrive at the maximum here. It was a difficult weekend, especially yesterday in qualifying, but I know I had great pace so I tried to recover in the beginning but I made a mistake and I lost time. I had to do a great second part of the race and step by step I came close to my podium. In the end there was a great battle, especially with Marc for the second place. I’m so happy for me, for my team, for my friends and all my fans who stay with me through two difficult years and also for Yamaha, to start the season with first and second place is not so bad!” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “What a terrific start to the season, we are of course very pleased with the result. There are 17 races to go and it looks like it will be a fantastic season. The first race is always quite important to get a little advantage and have a good feeling. To have your first win for Jorge and of course second with Vale is great for the team and for the spirit because it will be a long season as we know so for everybody it's a big boost. We go to Austin now where we struggled a bit in the test but we have improved the bike already quite a bit. Hopefully we’ll be able to close the gap and have a good race there as well.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “I have to say that this weekend started very well and finished even better. We couldn’t expect anything more. We won the race with a big gap and we finished second with Vale after he made an incredible comeback. I think the team did a really great job since Sepang test one, making the bike better and better and I thin this result is the icing on the cake. Everyone put in a lot of effort so I have to make a big thank you to then all. This is the best way to start the season and we won’t give up to until the end.” 2013 MotoGP Qatar Losail Circuit 02/04/2013 race I 1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 42'39.802 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'05.990 3 Marquez Marc Honda ESP 0'06.201 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'09.473 5 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 0'18.764 6 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 0'22.148 7 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 0'24.355 8 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 0'24.920 9 Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 0'37.124 10 Ben Spies Ducati USA 0'44.908 11 Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 0'49.809 12 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 0'56.495 13 Hector Barbera FTR ESP 1'09.599 14 Yonny Hernandez ART COL 1'10.742 15 Hiroshi Aoyama FTR JPN 1'13.600 MotoGP World Standing Rider Standings After Race 1 of 18 1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 25 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 20 3. Marquez Marc Honda ESP 16 4. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 13 5. Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 11 6. Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 10 7. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati ITA 9 8. Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 8 9. Andrea Iannone Ducati ITA 7 10. Ben Spies Ducati USA 6 11. Aleix Espargaro ART ESP 5 12. Randy De Puniet ART FRA 4 13. Hector Barbera FTR ESP 3 14. Yonny Hernandez ART COL 2 15. Hiroshi Aoyama FTR JPN 1

Jorge Lorenzo - 1st, Time - 1'56.685 “It's a very good way to start the season, on top. To have three Yamahas in the first three positions like in Jerez means this track can be positive for us. We need to improve though because the other guys will come in the next practice. We’ll make the step little by little by riding, improving the bike and also the track will improve. Today we tried both bikes and tomorrow we will try the new chassis here.” Valentino Rossi - 3rd, Time - 1'56.756 “The first practice was very positive for us, we are in third position and we are very close to Jorge. Our pace was ok, especially because I used just one set of tyres to understand if I could be fast with a lot of laps. The setting and balance of the bike is good so it looks like we can be competitive.” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “Our position is good, especially as the track is quite tricky and dirty, off line it’s quite slippery, but that’s normal here. To be on top and see the competitors struggling a little is good. It’s not what we want to be just yet but we have to be satisfied in first position.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “It’s a good beginning and the bike is working very well. This circuit is really suits the YZR-M1. To see both riders consistently leading the practices means something positive. Well check the data now and make some small adjustments and see where we can go. The start has been good!” Crutchlow stars on opening night in Qatar The 2013 MotoGP World Championship roared into action tonight, with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow one of the leading lights in the season's opening practice session at the floodlit Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The British rider was immediately battling for the top three in a session run in warm but windy conditions, which meant grip levels were far from ideal with sand and dust being blown onto the 5. 38km track surface from the surrounding desert landscape. An indication of how tricky track conditions were was reflected on the timesheets, with Crutchlow's best pace of 1.56.743 some way off the fastest race lap set by Casey Stoner in 2012 of 1.55.541. Full of confidence after setting the quickest time during last month's final pre-season test session at the Jerez track in Spain, Crutchlow continued his impressively fast form tonight to help Yamaha take a clean sweep of the top three in the 45-minute session. A 1.57.795 put him inside the top three and he was able to improve his pace by over a second to keep nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi at bay and secure a stunning second position behind current title holder Jorge Lorenzo. Tonight's session saw Bradley Smith make his competitive debut for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team, the British rider making solid progress throughout the session and finished just outside of the top 10 on an encouraging opening night. The British rider dedicated the majority of his time on track to learning lines and braking markers on the YZR-M1 machine, which has never ridden at the Losail International Circuit. Smith completed 18 laps and gaining confidence throughout he ended the session with a best pace of 1.58.369 that put him on the brink of the top 10 in 11th and ahead of Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies. Crutchlow and Smith will continue their preparations for the unique night race tomorrow evening when two further practice sessions are held under the spectacular Losail International Circuit floodlights. Cal Crutchlow - 2nd, Time - 1'56.743 “It was a very good first session on a personal level with me finishing second and also for Yamaha with a clean sweep of the top three. As is always the case on the first night in Qatar the track was quite dirty, particularly off the racing line. Even on the racing line it was quite slippery but I am happy to be right in the mix from the start. We need to make some changes to the bike for tomorrow because I felt we had too much weight transfer on braking and acceleration but I've got to be happy to finish in second and ending up in between Jorge and Valentino. Second place is great but I am not reading too much into it. As the track conditions improve some of the rest will get faster and it is still going to be very tough to be on the podium. I am looking forward to the race and being so competitive from the sta rt certainly gives my confidence another lift and helps me carry on the momentum gained in testing.” Bradley Smith - 11th, Time – 1'58.368 "I'm really happy with my performance in my very first practice session in MotoGP. It's nice just to get rid of the initial nerves and tension that has been building up as you get ready for the beginning of the season. With such little time on track in 45 minutes we didn't tweak the bike too much. I just wanted to get familiar with the track because the lines and braking points are completely different to what I am used to in Moto2. Being on track with the rest of the field at the same time helps because I can pick up some pointers and I'll watch a video of the session again to understand where I can improve and be faster for FP2 and FP3, where it will be important to finish in the top 10 for the new qualifying format. I'm satisfied with my posit ion though and I am not a million miles behind Nicky and 1.6s off the best pace is the closest I have been since I first rode this bike, so that shows I am moving in the right direction.” Qatar Free Practice 1 Times: 1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 56.685s 2. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 56.743s 3. Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 56.756s 4. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 57.276s 5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 57.538s 6. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 1m 57.601s 7. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 1m 57.670s 8. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 57.749s 9. Aleix Espargaro ESP Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 57.843s 10. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 57.926s 11. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 58.369s 12. Andrea Iannone ITA Energy T.I. Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 58.559s 13. Ben Spies USA Ignite Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 58.575s 14. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 1m 59.608s 15. Randy De Puniet FRA Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 59.633s 16. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (ART CRT) 1m 59.758s 17. Colin Edwards USA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 2m 0.341s 18. Yonny Hernandez COL Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 2m 0.426s 19. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Avintia Blusens (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 2m 0.563s 20. Claudio Corti ITA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 2m 1.227s 21. Danilo Petrucci ITA Came IodaRacing Project (Suter-BMW CRT)* 2m 1.438s 22. Bryan Staring AUS Go Fun Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT)* 2m 1.942s 23. Lukas Pesek CZE Came IodaRacing Project (Suter-BMW CRT)* 2m 2.079s 24. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM CRT)* 2m 2.135s * Standard ECU. Source www.yamaha-racing.com

Valentino Rossi prepares for his first race reunited with Yamaha in confident mood having seen a marked return to form over winter testing. The nine-time MotoGP World Champion has been quick to answer his critics and find a highly competitive pace on the 1000cc YR-M1, putting himself firmly among the favourites alongside his team-mate for podium honours under the spotlights of the Losail Circuit. Rossi can claim three premier class victories in Qatar, the last being also his last outing at the track on the Yamaha M1. Built in the desert on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital city Doha, The Losail International Circuit has hosted a MotoGP round since 2004. The track celebrated the first ever night-time Grand Prix in 2008 and continues to be the only night race on the calendar. The 5.4km track is well suited to the YZR-M1 with a fast flowing nature. With a main straight over a kilometre in length and a combination of medium and high-speed corners the track is guaranteed to provide an exciting spectacle to start the season. Jorge Lorenzo "I am very excited to return to Qatar and begin the season. The testing has been good, we have good pace and we are quite happy with our performance. We still have some areas to improve but our situation is not so bad compared to our competitors and I think we can fight for the win. Jerez was a good point for us after testing in Austin; that was a new circuit where maybe we haven’t yet found a perfect feeling. In Jerez we were able to make a long run and all the Yamahas were on top; that gave us some extra motivation before travelling to Qatar. It also shows that every track is different and it’s going to be an exciting Championship. I want to keep the crown but it’s going to be hard. There are some great riders this year, I was surprised by Marquez’ pace and also with Valentino on his return to Yamaha. Dani is also so strong after the last part of the 2012 season. We will fight really hard from the first race, I believe we are in good shape for that. Losail is a track where we usually find a difficult track surface, plenty of sand and because of that it is always very tough with the tyres. We will see how we can perform there. I am feeling very fit and ready so I want to start!” Valentino Rossi "I’m very happy with the work done in Jerez and over the winter. I was fast and everything worked fine and we have a competitive bike to fight for the podium. I believe that in Qatar will not be so easy; it is a track that is a little difficult for me, but I think I can defend myself and get a good result. I would like to get on the podium: that's my goal. After the testing I know I can be competitive in some tracks but also that I will have some problems in other tracks. The most important thing is that now I have a good feeling when I ride my M1 and this will help me at all tracks, including Qatar. Every year you get a little bit nervous at the beginning of the season. It’s normal to feel like that; it’s crucial to get some good points and not to make mistakes. I can’t wait to start this 2013 season." Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager "We are pretty satisfied with all the work we’ve done during the winter tests, especially at Jerez, where we were able to find a good pace and we could prove the new materials. I think more or less the work is done and Jorge is ready for Qatar. He is in good shape and we have a lot of good information for the first race in Losail.
As we saw at Jerez, Jorge seems to be quite consistent in a long-run, despite some little problems we found with the setting because of the wet conditions in Jerez. We are looking forward to starting the new season, it’s going to be a very tough year with good rivals like Dani, but also Valentino returning to Yamaha and Márquez who has been impressive on his first tests. I guess the key for us is going to be keeping calm from the beginning, trying not to make mistakes and going race by race. I can say that Jorge has been training very hard and is very fit, he has a competitive package to ride with the M1 and is ready to fight and defend our title." Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “We arrive in Qatar with good confidence. Our performance over the winter testing has been very good and we are very competitive. We have two very strong riders, both with a good record at Qatar. Jorge has completed some race simulations and I think he’s very physically prepared. Valentino has improved his feeling with the bike at each test. It’s normal that it has taken him more time because for two years he has had another bike, but at Jerez he definitely proved he had the right feeling. The bike will continue to improve over the season but as it stands now it is a very competitive machine and we know it can achieve good results. The track is very suited to the characteristics of the M1, there is only one place which is difficult, the last corner is a very slow turn, first or second gear so we suffer a little there. We believe we can have the best start to the season here.” 2013 MotoGP Qatar Losail Circuit 02/04/2013 Circuit Length: 5380 Lap Record: 1'55.537 (Casey Stoner, 1-1-2009) Fastest Lap Ever: 1'53.927 (Jorge Lorenzo, 9-3-2008) Last Years Winner: Jorge Lorenzo

Valentino Rossi - 2nd, 32 laps, Time - 1'39.735 “I’m so happy at the end of today to have some quite good conditions to make some laps in the dry, because for us it was very important to try the different chassis. The feeling is generally ok; I was competitive in difficult conditions and also made good lap times with the used tyre. The new chassis has some good and bad points but I think I will start the season with the chassis from yesterday and test this one again during the season. I am happy about the test; I was competitive so I think we can be competitive for the first race in Qatar also.” Jorge Lorenzo - 4th, 34 laps, Time -1'40.105 “We didn't think we would practice so much today because the weather was so bad but finally we had two hours to practice and improve some things on the bike. I made a long run that I think was positive to understand the behaviour of the bike with old tyres. We are not the fastest but I think we are very consistent. It’s been a positive test for us to gain some motivation after Austin; that was a difficult three days. It shows that every track is a different world so lets see what happens in Qatar. There can be a lot of sand on the track there so we’ll see how it is. Like every year you feel a little nervous at the beginning, its so important to start in a good way and get some points!” Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager “It’s the last day of testing, finally in the last two hours we were able to go out and do what we came for and test the bike and new material we had available. The situation wasn't perfect, there were still some damp patches but I think we have the information we need to be able to start in Qatar with the right stuff. We didn’t complete so many laps over the last three days but we are quite satisfied with the results. One of Jorge’s strong points is consistency, yesterday he struggled to be able to find a constant pace but today he had that back and was good. We didn't pay too much attention to one hot lap, but looking at him I think he’s ready for Qatar.” Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “Today we are feeling the passion and fortunately we could ride for one and a half hours. We couldn't get all the information we were looking for, but the results we got are enough to decide which path we will take to start the season in Qatar in ten days time. The winter tests are now done, we have done a good job and we can start the season in the best way. We achieved most of our targets and I think we finished Jerez with Yamaha top three leading the practices which means the package is really good. We are looking forward to Qatar and we are ready to fight.” Crutchlow ends pre-season campaign in style at Jerez The 2013 MotoGP World Championship pre-season ended in stunning style for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow, who topped the timesheets on a weather-hit final day at the Jerez track in Spain. The 27-year-old surged to the top of the timesheets on a greasy but dry track in the closing stages of a day that saw less than two hours of track time available following early morning rain. Crutchlow powered his YZR-M1 machine to a brilliant time of 1.39.511 in the final hour to better Valentino Rossi's best lap that the Italian set on the second day by just 0.014s. Crutchlow's impressive performance today provided him with the perfect confidence boost ahead of the first race in Qatar on April 7, where he will be looking for a strong start to his third season in the MotoGP World Championship. This morning's rain and the short window to test on a dry track this afternoon gave Bradley Smith another opportunity to build up his experience on Bridgestone's wet and slick tyres. Smith completed 25 laps in the wet and then spent a large part of the day waiting for the surface to dry to further work on his riding style and YZR-M1 settings on a dry track. He completed an additional 31-laps on slick rubber and after setting a best time of 1.41.398 in the dry yesterday, he was able to improve his pace to a 1.41.134. That encouraging pace moved him one place up the rankings from 12th to 11th and on the combined leaderboard h e finished 13th. After a positive pre-season Smith is confident that he can be fighting for a top 10 finish on his much anticipated MotoGP debut at the Losail International Circuit in Doha. Cal Crutchlow, 1st, 30 laps, Time - 1'39.511 “It is obviously very satisfying to finish the test with the fastest time because it shows what a really good job I did and what a great job my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team did too. It is a shame we didn't get the chance to get in a lot more dry laps but I have been very fast and consistent and that gives me a lot of confidence for when we return to Jerez for the third race. This morning's rain meant the track wasn't in a great condition in the last two hours and I felt I could have definitely gone faster if there was more grip available. But it is the same for everybody and we came out on top, so that's positive. Each time I tried to improve my pace at the end I came across some traffic, so I've no doubt I could have gone faster. It has been a positive pre-season and I think I have shown I have made another big improvement for this year. This result gives me a lot of confidence going to Qatar but my goal will be to finish in the top six and get some early momentum like I did last season. It is going to be a very exciting season and now I can't wait to get to Qatar.” Bradley Smith, 11th, 56 laps, Time - 1'41.134 “The really important aspect of today was that I did eventually get some dry time on track. I was reasonably happy with my performance in the wet because it is all about building my experience of the bike and tyres in those conditions. But I was really happy the track dried because I badly need seat time and the weather has definitely not helped my preparations. I'm still searching for a base setting but we have it clear the direction we need to move in with the bike and that's to move away from what Andrea Dovizioso used and make the bike more like how Cal has his. I'm gradually getting more comfortable and at this test I've followed Cal, Jorge and Valentino to get a really understanding of how the Yamaha needs to be ridden. Now I'm really looking forward to going to Qatar. I'd have preferred to have done a few more dry laps in testing but I am confident and optimistic that I can start the season with a strong result.” Jerez Test Times, Day Three 1. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 39.511s (Lap 22/30) 2. Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory (YZR-M1) 1m 39.735s (24/32) 3. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 39.975s (20/26) 4. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory (YZR-M1) 1m 40.105s (22/42) 5. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 40.130s (23/34) 6. Andrea Iannone ITA Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 40.331s (24/25) 7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 40.370s (41/42) 8. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 40.516s (29/30) 9. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider (GP13) 1m 40.881s (40/44) 10. Randy De Puniet FRA Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 40.971s (21/24) 11. Bradley Smith GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 41.134s (56/56) 12. Aleix Espargaro ESP Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 41.218s (38/39) 13. Claudio Corti ITA Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 41.443s (42/44) 14. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 41.772s (40/41) 15. Lukas Pesek CZE IodaRacing (Suter-BMW CRT)* 1m 41.791s (49/49) 16. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB (ART CRT) 1m 41.864s (29/36) 17. Yonny Hernandez COL Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 1m 42.363s (20/25) 18. Danilo Petrucci ITA IodaRacing (Suter-BMW CRT)* 1m 42.428s (17/18) 19. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM CRT)* 1m 42.470s (28/36) 20. Bryan Staring AUS Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT) 1m 43.525s (31/41) 21. Colin Edwards USA Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 56.281s (14/14) 22. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 56.897s (2/5) * Control ECU. Source: yamaha-racing.com