Alex

Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube’s Alessandro Botturi was the next rider to complete the route from Copiapo to Antofagasta. He arrived at the bivouac and found himself in 18th place just ahead of Michael Metge in 20th. Olivier Pain crossed the line shortly after in 24th position. Alessandro Botturi In the quad category Rafal Sonik was again the fastest man of the day. The Polish rider set a fastest time of 05h47’46. Completing the top three were fellow Yamaha riders Ignacio Casale (10’51) and Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli (21’41). After today’s results, the provisional overall standings show Sonik (21h52’41), Casale (24’23) and Yamaha’s Sergio Lafuente (26’20) as the leading trio. Tomorrow’s stage will take the riders up the Pacific coast, through the dunes, to the centre of Iquique, where a podium will mark the mid-way point in the race. Juan Pedrero 12th / 14’25, 13th / 01h04’14 “I didn’t get my time back for stopping for a crashed rider yesterday so I started in 31st place. Apparently the time will be deducted from the overall classification this evening. Starting so far back, with slower riders meant I was riding in a lot of dust and I was impatient to get past them and into clean air. At around kilometre 16 I jumped into a ‘rio’ and hit a big rock with my bash plate, which broke it and made a hole in the petrol tank. I stopped for about four minutes to try and stop it leaking too much and then carried on to the refuelling CP. As I arrived I ran out of petrol! I was shaking the bike to get the last drops out of the tank. Then after the refuelling I started to run out of petrol again when I saw some spectators. I rode up to them and told them I was a friend of Chaleco Lopez (a famous Chilean rider who retired this year) and they gave me some fuel. Then in the canyon at the end I really attacked hard and pulled back some time. I was unlucky to put a hole in my petrol tank at the start of the special but very lucky to get to the end!” Alessandro Botturi 18th / 23’31, overall 16th / 01h11’35 “The track was fast, then you had some fesh-fesh, then fast again, with nothing difficult in terms of navigation. The Yamaha WR450F Rally’s engine is powerful but it’s physically demanding to ride. This evening my arms are really tired from holding on to the bike.” Michael Metge 20th / 29:04, overall 19th / 01h16’42 “I already had the feeling from what the organisers were saying that today’s special wasn’t going to be much fun and so I can’t say I’m disappointed. It was exactly as advertised; fast and bumpy with lots of traps to catch you out. Towards the end, before the canyon, there was a section of fesh-fesh with big white rocks sticking out of it. I saw a rider in front of me hit one and go straight up in the air. Physically I’m ok. The knee that I injured on the Sardegna Rally Race six months ago isn’t giving me any problems, but this evening I’m pretty tired.” Olivier Pain 24th / 35’14, overall 20th / 01h35’52 “Not a very interesting special, apart from a run through a canyon at the end, but by then my arms were too tired to enjoy it. The rest of the stage was simply designed to wear out man and machine and in that at least they succeeded.” Olivier Pain Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 05: Copiapo to Antofagasta 1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 04:38:16 2. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 04:40:32 3. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 04:40:56 4. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 04:42:10 5. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 04:42:53 6. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 04:44:51 7. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 04:45:26 8. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 04:45:40 9. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 04:48:13 10. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 04:48:21 11. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 04:52:04 12. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 04:52:41 13. Javier Pizzolito, ARG (KTM) 04:55:05 14. Ivan Jakes, SVK (KTM) 04:55:11 15. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 04:55:40 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 05:01:47 20. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 05:07:20 24. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 05:13:30 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 17:51:05 2. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 18:01:38 3. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 18:13:55 4. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 18:22:11 5. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 18:27:28 6. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 18:29:18 7. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 18:29:41 8. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 18:30:59 9. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 18:33:10 10. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 18:34:29 11. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 18:35:17 12. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 18:50:15 13. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 18:55:19 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 18:55:32 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 19:02:09 16. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 19:02:40 19. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 19:07:47 20. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 19:26:57 Source www.yamaha-racing.com

Best placed Yamaha was once again Juan Pedrero’s machine, finishing in 10th place. The day’s results put Pedrero in 10th overall, Metge in 17th, Boturri in 18th and Pain in 19th place. Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven Team’s Robert van Pelt didn’t start this morning after being helicoptered out of yesterday’s special after a crash, however his teammate Frans Verhoeven is still in the game and finished 32nd. The riders are now taking a well-earned rest to ready themselves for tomorrow’s stage. Marked by its long liaison of 594 km and large difference in altitude, the route will take riders to an altitude of 4,800m. The thin, cold air will make for demanding riding conditions in the Atacama Desert and the dunes and basins of Copiapo. Michael Metge 16th / 07’51 , 17th overall / 35’22 “The piste at the start of the special had just been remade and that was great fun to ride. Then after that we went into a ‘rio’ (dry river) which was more complicated. We made some changes to the chassis set up last night. That improved the bike a little and we need to keep working in that direction.” Alessandro Botturi 14th / 06’16, 18th overall / 35’28 “It went a little bit better today, both for myself physically and technically with the bike. I must admit I didn’t feel great this morning when I got up after yesterday’s crash but ‘fortunately’ we had a long liaison before the start of the special to fully wake up. The special itself was OK but dust was a big problem. ‘Thank you’ both to Mika (Metge) and Laia (Sanz) who both moved over straight away when they saw that I was behind them.” Alessandro Botturi Olivier Pain 21st / 11’35, 19th overall / 37’54 “Over the fast terrain at the beginning of the rally, I was able to find a good rhythm on the bike. Then after the CP we got into more rocky terrain, in a rio and some off-piste, and it was harder work. The team is working hard to improve the bike in these kind of conditions and there was definitely some improvement today. Tomorrow we have a very long liaison of 594 kilometres to get across the Andes into Chile. We’re going to climb up to almost 5000 metres, so it will be very cold and the air will be very thin. Once we’ve negotiated that we have a quite tough 315 km special to take us all the way to Copiapo. I’m hoping that there will be more navigation than we’ve had up until now and that it will allow me to pull back some time.” Juan Pedrero 10th / 05’21, 10th overall /23'02 “I was hoping to attack today but unfortunately the high altitude at the start of the special had a very negative effect on my top speed – I could only manage 145 kph. At the CP I was down in 20th place! Then after the CP, in the technical terrain, I was able to ride harder and pulled back 10 places to finish 10th which is also my overall position this evening.” Juan Pedrero Frans Verhoeven 32nd / 22’58, 29th overall / 1:18'13 “Yesterday Robert (van Pelt) crashed in the special, the bike got so hot that the fuel started boiling. He ran out of water and eventually became so exhausted that he had to be evacuated by helicopter. It is the classic Dakar downward spiral… As for myself, I’m OK but obviously very disappointed to see my teammate being forced out of the race so early.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 03: San Juan to Chilecito 1. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 02:34:28 2. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 02:35:08 3. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 02:36:21 4. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 02:37:13 5. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 02:37:17 6. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 02:37:39 7. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 02:37:54 8. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 02:38:30 9. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 02:39:04 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 02:39:49 11. Sam Sunderland, GBR (KTM) 02:39:51 12. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 02:40:07 13. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 02:40:43 14. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 02:40:44 15. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 02:41:29 16. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 02:42:19 21. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 02:46:03 32. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 02:57:26 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 09:43:05 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 09:48:38 3. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 09:53:38 4. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 09:53:55 5. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 09:55:15 6. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 09:55:29 7. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 09:57:12 8. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 10:01:38 9. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 10:01:39 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 10:06:07 11. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 10:06:45 12. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 10:09:41 13. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 10:10:58 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 10:15:21 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 10:17:16 17. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 10:18:27 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 10:18:33 19. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 10:20:59 29. Frans Verhoeven, NLD (Yamaha) 11:01:18 Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Michael Metge was the fastest of the Factory Yamaha’s today, securing 17th place. Alessandro Botturi took 18th and Olivier Pain arrived not long after in 19th. Today’s leading Yamaha was Spanish rider Juan Pedrero Garcia. The Spanish rider battled the heat to finish an impressive 10th. Despite the heat, it was a good day for the Yamahas in the quad category. Rafał Sonik won the special stage with his Yamaha Raptor 700 as he created an over three-minute lead from Ignacio Casale (3’33), who was closely followed by Sergio Lafuente (4’14). The three Yamaha riders top the general ranking, with fellow Yamaha rider, Sebastian Halpern, less than five minutes behind in fourth place. Tomorrow’s shorter stage will take the riders to one of the most scenic regions of Argentina: the canyons. However, the riders won’t have much time to enjoy it as this quads and bikes route will also include some gruelling sections. Oliver Pain 19th / 26’19 / 17th overall “The organisers promised us a hard day today and they kept their promise! I struggled to find my rhythm early on in the mountains and then managed to pick up the pace a little around the half way point. Towards the end we had 40 kilometres of ‘Le Touquet’, except instead of it being freezing cold it was like riding in an oven! Both mentally and physically it was very tough. It was so hot that I opened by jacket to let some air in, something I hardly ever do. I can’t say I’m really delighted with my result but I’m not surprised either. Although the terrain was varied, there was very little navigation, it was more like a Baja. Good for some of the newcomers but not so good for someone like myself who can make the difference with the road book.” Michael Metge 17th / 25’25 / 18th overall “I was looking forward to today’s special and started very motivated. Straight away I found a good pace and overtook several other riders, at one point getting up to seventh place. Then we got into the fesh-fesh and things got a little more complicated. No doubt about it, it was a very hard special and the high temperatures didn’t make it any easier. Tonight we will need to make sure we recuperate as much as possible and be ready for tomorrow. According to the organisers it’s not going to be as hard tomorrow but if the temperatures stay this high everybody is going to suffer.” Alessandro Botturi 18th / 26’11 / 19th overall “A really tough stage today. I was doing OK and then about 40 kilometres from the end I crashed. For maybe five minutes I was pretty disorientated and then I got myself back on the bike and rode very gently to the finish. Fortunately the liaison at the end wasn’t too long as I wasn’t feeling on top form!” Alessandro Botturi Alexandre Kowalski - Team Director “Not an easy day today for our riders with the high temperatures pushing all the competitors to the limit. Over some parts of the special the bike went well but on others, notably in the fesh-fesh, it was harder to exploit it to the fullest and we need to look at the chassis set up this evening to improve the bike’s balance. The important thing is to remember that we are only on the second day of this long rally with a brand new bike and we will continue to work as hard as we have up until now to give the riders the best possible package.” Juan Pedrero 10th / 16'45 / 10th overall “The result is good but it could have been a bit better. From CP3, where they neutralised the special, it was so hot that I had to slow down or risk damaging the bike. It’s not a big deal – maybe I lost five minutes… Apart from that everything is good. The bike is performing well and I’m feeling fit. Tomorrow I should be able to attack hard.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 02: Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 5:46:06 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 5:52:19 3. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 5:55:22 4. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 5:55:26 5. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 5:55:48 6. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 5:57:31 7. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 5:57:41 8. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 5:58:38 9. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 6:01:55 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 6:02:51 11. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 6:04:06 12. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 6:07:50 13. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 6:08:01 14. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 6:08:56 15. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 6:09:26 17. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 6:11:31 18. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 6:12:17 19. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 6:12:25 Dakar Rally 2015: Overall Ranking 1. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 7:06:44 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 7:11:21 3. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 7:17:21 4. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 7:18:08 5. Toby Price, AUS (KTM) 7:18:16 6. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 7:18:47 7. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 7:19:10 8. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda 7:20:10 9. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 7:23:08 10. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 7:26:18 11. Stefan Svitko, SVK (KTM) 7:28:58 12. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 7:29:06 13. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 7:30:51 14. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 7:30:59 15. Riaan Van Niekerk, ZAF (KTM) 7:32:41 17. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 7:34:56 18. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 7:36:08 19. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 7:37:49 Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Not taking any unnecessary risks, the Yamaha riders made a cautious start. Olivier Pain was the first rider of the team to ride his WR450F Rally into the bivouac (13th at 03’34), followed by Michael Metge (19th at 05’40) and Alessandro Botturi (25th at 06’35), who were forced to slow their pace due to visibility issues. Michael Metge Quad rider Ignacio Casale had a different strategy as he took on the first stage. After securing his first Dakar crown one year ago, the Chilean gave his all to show that he still has what it takes. He was the first quad to start the first stage and rode his Yamaha Raptor 700 to a solid one-minute lead. Last year's runner-up, Rafał Sonik, completed the all Yamaha provisional podium together with Sergio Lafuente. The riders now look forward to tomorrow’s stage, which will include the longest special of this year’s Dakar rally. Olivier Pain 13th / 03’34 “I didn’t take any risks today. The track had some deep and very hard ruts in it and a lot of them were hidden in the grass or under the shade of the trees where you couldn’t see them. In conditions like that the best thing is to take it easy and make sure you get to the end. Apart from that there was no drama. The bike went well and I was particularly happy with the top speed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. The longest special of the rally and I reckon I’m well placed this evening to make the best of it.” Michael Metge 19th / 05’40 “After only about 14 kilometres I caught up with the rider who started in front of me and got stuck in his dust. Obviously in such poor visibility you have to choose your moment to overtake and in the end I had to wait over 60 kilometres before I could get past. It’s frustrating, as you know you’re losing time, but that’s part of the rally. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a clearer run.” Michael Metge Alessandro Botturi 25th / 06’35 “I had the same problem as Michael, getting stuck in other peoples’ dust. Unfortunately it meant I didn’t see a sharp right hand corner until it was too late. I didn’t go far off track, but far enough to get some loose fence wire stuck in my front wheel, which took me a while to untangle.” Dakar Rally 2015 Stage 01: Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz 1. Sam Sunderland, GBR (KTM) 1:18:57 2. Paulo Gonçalves, PRT (Honda) 1:19:02 3. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 1:20:09 4. Joan Barreda Bort, ESP (Honda) 1:20:38 5. Alain Duclos, FRA (Sherco TVS) 1:21:05 6. Jeremias Israel Esquerre, CHL (Honda) 1:21:13 7. David Casteu, FRA (KTM) 1:21:33 8. Matthias Walkner, AUT (KTM) 1:21:39 9. Pablo Quintanilla, CHL (KTM) 1:21:55 10. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 1:21:59 11. Toby Prince, AUS (KTM) 1:22:28 12. Pablo Rodrigues, PRT (Honda) 1:22:29 13. Oliver Pain, FRA (Yamaha) 1:22:31 14. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (KTM) 1:22:42 15. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (Yamaha) 1:23:27 19. Michael Metge, FRA (Yamaha) 1:24:37 25. Alessandro Botturi, ITA (Yamaha) 1:25:32

Olivier Pain “For sure, with us moving into the assistance parc with all the other teams and going through scrutineering, the tension goes up a little. The start is only a few hours away now and you can feel the anticipation. The nice thing about the Dakar though is that it really is like a big family. We spend a lot of time together and share something very intense and that creates strong friendships. Plus of course this isn’t circuit racing, it isn’t a contact sport, essentially we are racing against the clock not each other. Obviously there is some rivalry but, for me at least, my biggest challenger is myself and the mental battle I have to stay focused and not make any mistakes. Then comes the desert, which must be treated with respect, and which is always a serious adversary.” Michael Metge “For me going through scrutineering always reminds me of the first day back at school. You see friends that you haven’t seen for a while, everybody is looking at the new clothes you’re wearing and you’re looking at theirs. Everybody is excited and a little bit nervous at the same time. The temptation is to chat to everybody you meet but when you are in a factory team you must never forget you are here to do a job, so you need to hold back a little and not get too distracted.” Alessandro Botturi “Personally I feel very relaxed. It is a pleasure to be in this environment, see my friends from the other teams and swap stories. I’ve always liked this atmosphere and feel totally at home in it. I do admit however that I’m impatient to get going now. We’ve been here since the 29th and I’m keen to get out in the desert and ride my bike.”

Olivier Pain “As always it’s a pleasure to be back in South America. This will be my seventh time here for the Dakar but I’m still surprised by the warmth of the people and the welcome they give to the competitors. At the moment we are in a hotel about 70 kilometres from the centre of Buenos Aires, the perfect place to relax, acclimatise and recover from the flight. But even here, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the other hotel guests come up to us to wish us luck and politely ask for an autograph. We’ll stay here for a night. The whole team celebrated the New Year together and then it was be quickly off to bed. We’ll save the big celebrations for when we arrive back in the Argentinian capital on the 17th of January!” Olivier Pain Michael Metge “We’ve been here a few days now and our preparations are going well. As the days pass the pressure mounts a little but I am confident in the capabilities of the new WR450 F Rally and in my own physical fitness and looking forward to the start of the race. Here’s hoping the New Year starts well for me and the team and we’ll have a fruitful 2015.” Alessandro Botturi “At the moment everything is very relaxed. The hotel we were staying at was perfect to get used to the change in temperature and do a little sport. This is my first time with all the team together and straight away I feel very comfortable. To me it seems like a big family, mechanics or riders, everybody is treated the same and I have been made very welcome. A very Happy New Year to you all.” Alessandro Botturi Alexandre Kowalski - Team Director “The whole team has had the chance to rest and recuperate, while finishing off our final preparations, and now we are looking forward to going through scrutineering today. The riders and team members have all worked hard to get ready for this race and are proud to represent the Yamaha brand on such a prestigious global event.”

Week 1 "Still, if we look at the route a bit more closely we can make some educated guesses about what to expect. The first day is a long stage but a short special, 663 and 175 kilometres respectively. It has been billed as a giant prologue without major difficulty and that seems entirely logical. Clearly the challenge is to not get carried away and do anything stupid right at the start of the race, while making sure to be up with the front runners and not stuck in the dust of the mid-pack riders, to be well positioned for the stages prior to crossing over the Andes into Chile." "From the second stage on you could say that the Dakar ‘proper’ gets under way with two tough stages to Chilecito. In the past this region has caused plenty of problems for competitors of all abilities. In the previous edition we had temperatures up in the high 40s and clearly this can be very tough on both man and machine. You don’t want to push either into the ‘red’ but again you can’t afford to fall back too far. A few years ago we had big storms and they can bring their own problems. Whatever the conditions, these two stages need to be approached with great care, so as to be sure to get to the crossing into Chile in the best possible shape." "From Chilecito we’ll have a long liaison over the Andes towards Copiapo. It’s likely to be very cold, subzero is not impossible and we’ll reach altitudes of around 4800 metres. All this will be done in liaison, but as we are racing soon after we get over the other side, and still have another two big stages before the rest day, you want to keep the impact of the Andean passage to an absolute minimum!" "The Atacama Desert stages are always a highlight of the rally and something I will be looking forward to. We are in wide open spaces where good navigation is essential and it’s a challenge I personally relish. I’m not one to follow the rest of the pack blindly and will be making sure I read my road book very carefully to put in a series of good results. The race is often won or lost during this kind of going and for me it is the very essence of rally-raid." Olivier Pain "Then on arriving in Iquique we get our well earned rest day. This is a bit of a euphemism because between various team briefings and press interviews there always seems little time to actually rest! Still, I should at least get the time to have a good sort through my bags and squeeze in a quick afternoon siesta!" Week 2 "Straight after the rest day we head into Bolivia for a couple of days. Unless the organisers have found some special ‘bike only’ tracks, for us I think the route will be similar to last year’s and relatively straightforward. There are however three elements that could complicate matters. The first is that it is a marathon stage, meaning that we have no outside mechanical assistance for the night we are there. These marathon stages are always a special moment on the Dakar. The bike competitors are all alone, in pretty basic conditions and that creates a very different, more intimate atmosphere. Obviously not having any assistance adds another dimension. If you don’t have any problems with your bike then you just check it over, change the air filter and get on with marking up the next day’s road book. But if you’ve had a crash or some other mechanical issue then you know you are in for a late night and lots of improvisation to make repairs as best you can ready to start the next day. The other challenge is that the bivouac is at 3500 metres and you will feel the difference. You will be short of breath and might not sleep so well, all of which puts additional strain on an already tired body!" "Heading back to Iquique there is talk of us crossing the biggest dried salt lake in the world. I think that it is something ridiculous like 100 kilometres wide. We were supposed to cross it last year but apparently it wasn’t dry enough. Whether we do it this year remains to be seen. For sure the organisers can’t take the risk of the whole race sinking under the lake’s salty crust." "The next day we say farewell to the Atacama Desert, which can always come up with some surprises, before heading back over the Andes - direction Salta - and our second marathon stage of the rally. Clearly this is going to be one of the toughest two days of the rally. The high altitude always takes it out of you and, to make matters worse, we start the special at 3600 metres, which means not much air for either the bike or the rider. Then when we get down to Salta we’ll have to manage on our own again with no mechanical assistance. That means riding to preserve the bike and pilot and making sure your tyres aren’t too destroyed for the following day. Fortunately we have a single cell fuel tank this year which should make the bike much easier to service." Olivier Pain "After that, in theory at least, it should be a relatively straightforward run back down to Buenos Aires, over relatively flowing WRC tyre ‘pistes’. I say ‘in theory’ because you never know really know what the organisers, the terrain, the climate or Lady Luck will throw at you. We will know a bit more when we get to Buenos Aires and the organisers give us a more detailed breakdown of the stages. I’ll have another good look at the stage profiles but I’ll still be on my guard. It’s tempting to get too far ahead of yourself and run ‘your’ Dakar film through your head before you’ve even started. Experience has taught me that it is better to take it one day at a time and expected the unexpected. Pretty much the only thing you can be certain of for 2015 is that, just like every year, the Dakar will be the toughest motorsport challenge on the planet and a great way to start the New Year!" You can follow Yamaha's progress in the Dakar HERE .

“One of the most striking features of the new bike is the WR’s unique single-cell fuel tank incorporating the rear sub frame”, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Yamlube Team Manager Jose Leloir commented. “The major consideration when building a Dakar bike is where to place the necessary 35 litres of fuel. For 2014 we had five separate fuel tanks all requiring pumps and all linked by fuel pipes. By using a single carbon fibre fuel cell we have simplified the system massively and in the processes made huge gains in both weight saving and reliability. In total we’ve reduced the bike’s weight by a considerable ten kilos and in the process made servicing the bike each evening a whole lot easier.” In addition to having less weight to haul around, the team’s riders have also gained increased peace of mind. No longer to they have to juggle with five different fuel taps and, as an added bonus, they can now actually have a fuel gauge that lets them know exactly how much petrol they have left to get to the end each day’s stage. WR450F Rally “Obviously the single-cell solution wasn’t just a question of making it fit and plumbing it in, it also had major implications in terms of the bike’s setup”, Jose Leoir added, “Once we decided on how we wanted to carry the fuel the bike went through several stages of development to ensure that the WR handled how the riders wanted it to with the new weight distribution.” In the end the team settled on a modified standard Kayaba front fork, specific front end geometry, a modified rear suspension linkage, a full factory Kayaba rear shock absorber and a longer swinging arm. Jose Leloir, “We tested a large number of different configurations before the riders were entirely happy with how the bike handled and now they delighted to have a bike that is both stable over the fast going and manoeuvrable over the increasingly technical terrain the Dakar organisers are choosing to run the ‘bike only’ specials over. WR450F Rally The icing on the cake and what all motorcycle racers want, whatever the discipline, is more speed – a 10% gain over last year’s machine. Once again the single-cell fuel tank plays a role. Jose Leloir concluded, “Some of the bike’s increased performance comes from a new fuel injection system incorporating traction control that will reduce rider fatigue, improve fuel consumption and tyre wear. A substantial part of our top speed gain comes from improved aerodynamics. Put simply, with the single fuel cell, the bike is much slimmer and so cuts through the air with considerably less drag. A big part of the Dakar’s appeal is that anything can happen out there in the desert, but we are at least confident that for 2015 we have given our riders a machine with which they can fully express their talents.” You can follow Yamaha's progress in the Dakar on www.yamaha-racing.com

Rossi didn’t let the changeable conditions slow him down and set a fastest lap of 1’32.437 on lap five. As things closed up at the front, fans were thoroughly entertained with a heated battle between Rossi, Marquez and Iannone. Sparks were flying from Rossi’s bike on lap 12 as Dani Pedrosa started to get into the mix. Six laps later rain threatened again, allowing the Doctor to reel in Marquez. Rossi kept his head down, but as the track dried again he came just short and finished in a deserved second place, 3.516 seconds behind the front man. Teammate Lorenzo had an unlucky end to the 2014 season. Starting from fourth on the grid, he soon got caught up in a fight with rival Pedrosa. The Movistar Yamaha rider looked to be the stronger of the two until drops of rain began to fall and he took a few laps to get a feel for the situation, falling back to seventh. As the track started to dry Lorenzo regained confidence and rose to fifth, having retaken Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso by lap nine. Four laps later the Spaniard arrived at the back of Iannone’s bike and won a hard battle with him before continuing his hunt for Pedrosa in third, until rain once again disrupted the race. Lorenzo struggled to get the bike stopped in the uncertain conditions and dropped down the order. He decided to come into the pits on lap 20 to switch to his wet bike and rejoined the race in 14th place. Unfortunately the gamble didn’t pay off. He dropped back to 21st and was forced to retire with five laps remaining as the conditions remained dry. With second place Rossi gains 20 championship points, securing second in the championship, with 295 points total. Lorenzo finished third in the championship as his points total remained 263. Tomorrow Rossi and Lorenzo will be back aboard the M1 on the Valencia circuit for the first test sessions in preparation for next year’s season. Valentino Rossi 2nd / +3.516 / 30 laps “I’m happy, because I finished this very positive season for me and my team with a great race and a good result here in Valencia. For me it’s a great achievement to take the pole position and to finish in second place, especially because this race was very difficult and the conditions were very dangerous. I tried to stay concentrated and not to make a mistake. It’s a bit of a shame that I started to suffer a little bit on the right side of the tyre, because I wasn’t so far from Marc, but it still has been a good season. We got second in the championship, a lot of podiums and two victories. Now, we have to work to be even better next year. My bad luck is called Marc Marquez, because without him I can win the championship and a lot of races. He did a fantastic job and won a lot of races. It’s a great pleasure to fight with him, but we are not so far and we never give up and try to come closer. Especially on Tuesday, but also tomorrow we will start working for next season. I am very close to 300 points, but Marquez won a lot more races than me, so me and my team need to improve the Yamaha to try and stay closer during the whole season. The test is important because we have a lot of new stuff to test for next year, so it will be interesting.” Jorge Lorenzo DNF / - / 24 laps “In Aragon I decided to come into the pits and it was a good decision, but here it was not raining enough for the rear tyre to work well. I was losing a lot of time as the slicks were dropping because of the water. The other riders were more confident. They weren’t scared to make a mistake, so they were faster and I kept losing time. Like in Aragon, instead of finishing in fifth, sixth or seventh position, I prefer to take risks, but today we didn’t have the luck we had there. I entered the pits and I was losing time every lap. I was five or six seconds slower than the others and eventually I decided to stop. We made a mistake and we have to learn from all the mistakes that we made this season to be stronger and more clever next year.” Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director “This has been one of the fastest seasons from my experience in MotoGP. We had a really positive year, though we missed out on the championship we had really good results and 24 podiums, many of them with both our riders standing together. In general our results were excellent and we deserved to finish at least second and third in the championship. We responded very well from the second half of the season and we were able to close the gap and show that the performance of the bike is very good. I really appreciate the effort that everybody in the team put in to keep pushing and never give up, that’s been really important. Today it was a difficult race, the conditions weren’t easy at all. Valentino proved again that he is still one of the most competitive riders in the world. Unfortunately it was a bittersweet end to the season with Jorge’s result. He wanted to take a gamble. It worked in Aragon, but here unfortunately it didn’t. I want to thank everybody again who made this good season possible, every team member and Yamaha employee and also the fans for their fantastic support. Congratulations to Marc for his title, we’ll be back to fight for it next year! Tomorrow it’s already the start of 2015 for us and we’ll start working on the new season.” Espargaro scores non-factory glory in Valencia Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro charged to an expertly undertaken sixth place to finish his debut season in the MotoGP class in superb form at Valencia. The 23 year old commenced the 30 lap sprint from the rear of the second row with drops of rain falling as soon as the race began. Espargaro undertook a solid start before being pushed back to 8th at the close of the first lap, yet he powered on as the rain still fell, albeit intermittently. The young Spanish rider had slipped back to 13th on lap four, but showed a fantastic display of determination to remain firm and try to move up the field. Espargaro pushed onwards and with two thirds of the race distance covered, he had ascended though the order in a consistent manner and back up to seventh with his sights directly set on the position in front. On the 25th lap the rookie had brilliantly closed the gap to his brother, Aleix Espargaro, in front and sped past to move into sixth one lap later before speeding across the finish line in this placement. His resolute and hard fought ride saw him brilliantly achieve his ambition of seizing sixth and the title of the leading satellite rider as well the rookie of the year in the 2014 World Championship standings. On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Bradley Smith concluded his 2014 campaign with a ride to 14th after an unfortunate final round in Valencia. The British star started the race from seventh on the grid, but was shuffled down to eleventh place by the end of the first lap. However, Smith persisted with his efforts to jump back up the field in order to score a top result as he set into a fierce race pace. By lap seven, the 23 year old rider had reached eighth position and continued to climb. Yet, with more spots of rain falling at the 4005 metre Ricardo Tormo circuit, Smith unluckily fell on lap 17, before re-joining to end the lap in 20th. Nevertheless, the young British rider proceeded forward and a final dash in the last laps saw Smith make up ground as well as six places to cross the line in 14th. The performance today marks a challenging yet resolute end to the 2014 season which sees him finish in eighth position in the world championship standings. Pol Espargaro 6th / +37.884 / 30 laps “I can't help but be slightly disappointed about our result today, even if this was not because of the placement itself yet, more about how things went. The second row was a solid position to start the race from and this morning with a full fuel load and used tyres I finished second in the warm up, so I think we were really prepared for the last race of the season. However, just like many other times this year, the rain came right at the start of the race and ruined our hopes. I am still not very experienced riding in the slight wet conditions with the slick tyres but today I couldn't risk too much. I had Bradley and my brother close to me on the track, who I was fighting with for the sixth place in the championship, so I had to think about the end result as well as finishing the race without any mistakes. However, I still ended my rookie year as the best non-factory rider, which had to be our aim, so I'm truly pleased with what we achieved. I want to say a huge thanks to the team for all their work as well as patience in teaching and supporting me this year. Tomorrow we'll kick off preparations for 2015 and I'm already excited to try our new parts.” Bradley Smith 14th / +57.517 / 30 laps “Overall, it was positive to be able to finish the race after falling, but today’s result didn’t reflect the true performance that we would have been able to achieve. The bike felt extremely well so firstly, a big thanks to my team for the work that they undertook and in all honesty, I am sure that I could have fought for fourth position. However, unfortunately at the beginning of the race I was pushed out wide by my teammate and then afterwards my fight with Aleix cost me further time so I lost the gap to the Ducati’s. Yet, once I was able to get in front of my group, I could run a good pace and recovered some time on the riders in front of me. Then I made a mistake going into turn 8 when the track was slippery due to the rain and I locked the front tyre. When I tried to get back on track, I tried to use a shortcut but a marshal stopped me which made me lose further time so it would have been better to turn and come back sooner. For sure, I will learn from this mistake and I am sorry to the team as we lost the seventh position, but I am still satisfied with the final placement in the standings. Furthermore, I hope to begin 2015 with a similar high to how we have performed in the second half of this season.” Aleix Espargaro and NGM Forward Racing finish an extraordinary 2014 season 7th overall The Valencia GP, last round of the season was the perfect place for the NGM Forward Racing team to celebrate the Open class title won by Aleix Espargaro with one race in advance. A success that crowned an amazing season that saw the Spaniard among the protagonist of the MotoGP class with one podium finish at Aragon and a pole position at Assen. Today, in front of the Spanish crowd, Espargaro crossed the finish line once again as first open, conquering a well deserved seventh position, after an exciting battle with his brother Pol. With this result he secured the seventh position in the rider World Championship with 126 points. The NGM Forward Racing Team shared the same success, clinching seventh in the Team Classification with 151 points. It was a difficult race for teammate Alex De Angelis, who closed the 2014 season with the 18th position. The rider from San Marino had a good start and was fighting to get some points, but when it started to rain he lost some confidence in the rear and couldn’t defend his position. Aleix Espargaro 7th / +38.168 / 30 laps “It was the final round of an incredible season together with the NGM Forward Racing Team. If I look back at this winter, we couldn’t have imagined to finish seventh in the championship on board of an open bike. We had a lot of satisfactions with the team: the first pole position, the first podium in MotoGP and 18 rounds were we have been protagonists, fighting with the front guys. I’d like to thank the “Forward family” for all their efforts, the support and the trust. The whole team has done an incredible job to give me a competitive bike. I’d like to thank Yamaha, my family and all the sponsors and partners for their support.” Alex De Angelis 18th / +1'15.795 / 30 laps “I would have loved to close my season with the NGM Forward Racing team in a different way, but in the last laps I struggled so much, that I couldn’t push more. I started well and I recovered positions, aiming at getting some points. Unfortunately, when it started to rain, I lost some confidence with the rear and I couldn’t keep my pace to defend my position. I’m sorry because my target was to finish the last round with some points to thank the team.”

In this season that saw Nakasuga shooting for the coveted third consecutive championship in the pinnacle class, he emerged the winner in a fierce battle with rivals Kosuke Akiyoshi (Honda) and Takumi Takahashi (Honda) to take the opening round, the Suzuka 2 and 4 Race, and get the season off to a great start. Katsuyuki Nakasuga In the next round at Autopolis, he took a fall and suffered injuries before the qualifying, leaving him to start the race from 6th position. Although the victory in the next day’s race went to rival Takahashi, Nakasuga was able to beat out Kazuki Watanabe (Kawasaki) by a slight margin to claim 2nd place. Then, in round three at Twin Ring Motegi, he finished 2nd again to take him into the fourth round at SUGO holding 2nd place in the season standings. However, in bad weather there at SUGO he was only able to finish in 6th place, which left him to enter the second half of the season in 2nd place in the standings, 10 points behind the leader, Takahashi. However, Nakasuga’s comeback was set to begin. In the next rounds at Autopolis and the Okayama International circuits, he scored consecutive wins that catapulted him to the top of the standings as the point leader going into the final round, the MFJ-GP at Suzuka. Here, Nakasuga ran to the win from pole position in the first race and finished 2nd in the second race to claim his third consecutive championship, while also becoming the first rider in history to win five championship titles in Japan’s pinnacle road racing class. Katsuyuki Nakasuga “In order to win my third consecutive title, I thought that a strong start from the first round would be very important, and when I was able to win the opening race, the Suzuka 2 and 4, I thought I had gotten a good flow going. But, Takumi Takahashi was also improving, and he took consecutive wins in the second round at Autopolis and the third round at Twin Ring Motegi. I knew I had to do something to get the flow going my way again, but the bad weather in the next round at SUGO threw my pace off. To tell the truth, I thought I had lost my rhythm at that point. Still, the entire team was working together so hard this season and I was able to come back and ride a wave that brought me three consecutive wins, in the series’ second race at Autopolis, at Okayama International, and then in the first race at the MFJ-GP at Suzuka. In the last race, there was a change in the track conditions, and the tension was reaching a peak in me, but I was determined to do anything to win the title. Thanks to the support of the fans, my team and everyone else who supported me, with all kinds of support I was able to win my third consecutive title and the fifth of my career. I want to thank everyone for cheering me on throughout this year.” Tadahiko Taira Champion of All Japan GP500 class from 1983 to 1985 “This was a flawless, well-earned third consecutive title. Congratulations! And, I’m so proud to see that Nakasuga has won three consecutive titles as a Yamaha rider. Because of the fall he took in the pre-season test that left him not in his best condition, the early stages of the series must have been difficult for him. Still, from mid-season through to the final round, he performed so well that I could watch his racing with assurance. His strength as a rider really shone throughout the season. Of all the riders in the All Japan championships, Nakasuga truly stands above the rest in terms of both his strategy and riding technique. I believe this is because of the dramatic growth he has managed to achieve through the experience of working as the development rider for the premier YZR-M1 race machine and actually participating in MotoGP races. Also, we can’t forget the contribution of his dedicated team in the areas of machine development and set-up, etc. In this sense, it has truly been a victory by the entire team. I really hope Nakasuga will go on now to take up the challenge of winning a fourth consecutive title and continue to grow as a model for younger riders to aspire to.” Yoshihiko Fujiwara Champion of All Japan GP500 class from 1987 to 1989 “When Nakasuga made his first attempt to get a third consecutive championship title in 2010, a crash when he was pushing hard caused him to and lose his chance for the title. But, even then I believed that he was a rider who would someday get that record. I feel like now that time has finally come. I know from my own experience that winning three consecutive titles is an extremely difficult thing to accomplish. It is not enough just to be fast. You need the mental strength and toughness to keep up your motivation to win and to overcome the pressure. I believe that Nakasuga has accomplished this feat because he is a rider with the kind of speed and strength it takes. I want to give my heartfelt congratulations. I also want to see Nakasuga go on to new heights. Because, with his experience as development rider for the YZR-M1, the MotoGP machine, he has the potential to become an even faster and stronger rider. I hope he won’t be satisfied with three consecutive titles but go on to a fourth and then a fifth; I look forward to a number of new records from him.” Takaaki Kimura Executive Vice President and Chief General Manager of Technology Center of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. “I want to say congratulations to Katsuyuki Nakasuga for winning the championship. Amid the pressure of competing for his third consecutive title, I’m sure that the season was not an easy one for him. But like last year, he never gave up and continued to race with strength of will and determination until he succeeded in this great achievement he had set his sights on. I believe that seeing Nakasuga’s serious dedication has brought real Kando to many fans. Having now achieved the great feat of winning three consecutive titles in the pinnacle class of Japanese road racing like the great riders Tadahiko Taira and Yoshihiko Fujiwara before him, I feel that we have just seen another rider join the ranks of the few who will be recognized as legends. Now we look forward to seeing Nakasuga go on to be the first rider ever to win four consecutive titles in the pinnacle class, and we also look forward to his achievements as a MotoGP machine development rider. Finally, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans who have given their warm support throughout the season. Thank you all.” Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Alexandre Kowalski (Team Director - Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube) “It is a new start for Yamaha Factory Racing, with the arrival of this brand new WR450F Rally that the riders have extensively tested and developed and which they will be able to push to the limits. Solid and experienced, Alessandro Botturi completes a team already composed of Olivier Pain (3rd on the 2014 Dakar) and the promising Michael Metge. Both among the riders and the technical team the motivation is strong to take the WR450F Rally onto the top spot on the podium. Front runner on the Dakar since the very beginning - remember we were there in 1979! – Yamaha have everything in place to add to their outstanding record.” José Leloir (Team Manager - Yamaha Factory Racing Rally Team Yamalube) “We have just finished three intensive and positive weeks in Sardinia. These extensive tests have allowed us to fine tune the set-up of the new WR450F Rally in readiness for the 2015 Dakar. Clearly we are satisfied with the potential of this new machine and I would like to personally thank the technical team for all their hard work since the previous edition.” Yamaha WR450F Rally: born for rally-raids Unprecedented, this new WR450F Rally is distinctly different from the previous Yamaha YZ450F Rally and features a single carbon-fibre fuel cell – as opposed to the five of its predecessor – for an equivalent capacity. As the riders Olivier Pain, Alessandro Botturi and Michael Metge were able to appreciate during October tests, this choice allows for an optimal weight distribution and improves the general balance of the machine. Narrower and more compact, the WR450F Rally is more manoeuvrable and easier to place. But this solution is only one of a number of improvements made to the machine that, among other things, gains an electric starter, without increasing overall weight and a six speed gearbox. The exhaust pipe has been supplied by the famous Akrapovic brand. Finally, in terms of looks, the WR450F Rally boosts new bodywork that gives it an even more modern profile. To watch a video of the brand new WR450F Rally in action click HERE . For pictures of the brand new WR450F Rally click HERE . Yamaha WR450F Rally Specification Engine 450cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder with electric-start Special crankshaft Racing spec. exhaust system Programmable ECU 6 speed gearbox Engine External Akrapovic exhaust system Get programmable ECU (with GPA) Superprox front and rear sprockets DID chain Twin-air (air filter) Rekluse clutch parts Innteck seals and bushes Yamalube lubricants Chassis Factory spec. triple clamps Factory swingarm (with water tank) Carbon-fibre fuel tank Carbon-fibre airbox Carbon-fibre fairing Chassis External KYB Factory rear suspension KYB Std front fork with Yamaha Factory Team settings Motomaster front disc (300mm) Motomaster rear disc (245mm) Haan front and rear wheels (rear hub with damper) Michelin tyres MigTEC roadbook reader Acerbis hand guards Kudvek stickers Source: www.yamaha-racing.com

Aware that he was still followed by rival Marquez, the Doctor put the hammer down on the next lap but went slightly off line on the last corner and was forced to give the position to Marquez. Rossi refused to give up and chased his rival but, as the tyres started to wear down and the heat started to take its toll, he was unable to retake the lead and finished the race in second, +2.445 behind the leader. Teammate Lorenzo catapulted off the line at the start of the Sepang battle and arrived at the first corner in second place until a slight touch with rival Marc Marquez forced him wide in the first corner. The Majorcan was quick to recover and went through the first corners side by side with teammate Rossi in third and fourth place. Lorenzo was the quicker one of the two and soon made his move on Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa to take the lead before the end of the fist lap. He put his head down in the attempt to extend his lead, but Rossi soon caught up and with 11 laps to go made his move. Before Lorenzo could answer he held off an attack from Marquez in his typical x-fuera style, but was unable make it last. Lorenzo remained determined to fight, but eventually settled for third place, his 85th MotoGP podium finish. Rossi’s impressive comeback from sixth to second earns him 20 points and leaves him second in the championship standings with 275 points. Lorenzo’s performance sees him take 16 points and leaves him third in the championship standings on 263 points, just 12 points behind his teammate. Valentino Rossi 2nd / +2.445 / 20 laps “This race is the most difficult race for the riders but I felt good with my preparations. This means I have worked well. The second place is positive for me because we struggled much during the weekend and I wasn’t very strong. This morning we improved the bike and once again in the afternoon. The bike was perfect for the race. I fought a lot and I enjoyed the fight with Jorge and also the battle with Marc at the end. At one moment I thought I could win, but unfortunately Marc was a little bit too fast. The best way to think of the second place for the championship is to try and fight for the podium. That’s my target, but Valencia is a difficult track for me. In the past I struggled there a lot, so this year I want to try the maximum. I want to be competitive on Sunday and try to arrive on the podium.” Jorge Lorenzo 3rd / +3.508 / 20 laps “This race was very difficult. It was probably the hottest race in Malaysia in the whole 12 years that I have competed. I made a good start and was very brave on the first lap. I pushed at the maximum for the first seven to ten laps, but little by little trying to get the bike stopped was getting worse and worse. Valentino was really fast and during the second part of the race he was able to keep the same pace that I had at the beginning. It was very difficult to ride and fight. I wasn’t as fit as in Silverstone or Misano. These three weeks outside of Europe I’ve not trained hard enough, so I wasn’t as quick.” Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director “It’s been almost a perfect day, we finished the triple header overseas races with a brilliant result and again have both riders on the podium. Vale rode a superb race and Jorge also was very strong. Their performances were especially impressive considering the incredibly hot conditions. We were able to see in warm up that the pace and speed were good so we thought we could get a great result. Unfortunately we didn't win but we have six podiums in three races and two wins, we can’t ask for much more. We go home satisfied with our efforts and look forward to finishing the season on a high note with a great race in Valencia. We have to thank all our staff, three overseas races in a row is tough and everyone worked very hard and never gave up.”