Source: Supplied.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team unveiled its 2016 model YZR-M1 in Barcelona, Spain, with world champion Jorge Lorenzo alongside the legendary Valentino Rossi.

Yamaha engineers carried through extensive development of the YZR-M1 all through the winter and the same dedication was given by Lorenzo and Rossi whilst completing thorough training to be ready for the next season.

Similar to the continuation of the rider line-up, the team’s sponsors also remained the same. For the third year in a row the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and Spanish company Telefónica form a strong partnership ready to oppose the competition in the premier class of road racing.

Their present five-year collaboration started in 2014 and has proven to be a recipe for success, making Telefónica’s headquarters the perfect venue to unveil the 2016 livery for Lorenzo and Rossi’s YZR-M1s.

“I am very pleased to start the 2016 season with Movistar once again as our title sponsor as we enter the third year of our five-year agreement,” Lin Jarvis, Yamaha Motor Racing managing director, said.

“The partnership goes from strength to strength with an ever-increasing list of successes both on and off the track with our sporting results as well as our marketing collaborations. Last season we enjoyed an especially fruitful year, securing the MotoGP triple crown with our riders finishing first and second, Yamaha winning the manufacturers title and with Movistar winning their first MotoGP world title with the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team.

“With Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi as riders, the unchanged Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team crew and the stunning new YZR-M1 bike we are confident that we will have all that we need to challenge to retain our three titles. We know that our competitors will be out for revenge and we can never underestimate the efforts that they will apply to try to dethrone us.

“We also know that the new regulations and change of tyre supplier will add more variables to contend with but we are committed to the challenge and planning to give our maximum effort to win the 2016 title.”

Presenting the team was MotoGP reporter Gavin Emmett, who welcomed to the stage Telefònica’s director of consumer business in Catalonia Bruno Vilarasau, followed by MotoGP heroes Lorenzo and Rossi.

They were joined by general manager motorsports division and YMC MotoGP group leader Kouichi Tsuji, Jarvis and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s team director Massimo Meregalli.