planetearth
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Number of posts : 3271
Registration date : 2007-02-03
 |  Subject: 'Fiat finally confirmed at Yamaha launch.'  Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:12 am | |
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- Monday's Milan launch finally confirmed car manufacturer Fiat as the title sponsor of the factory Yamaha team, and thus Valentino Rossi, for the 2007 and 2008 MotoGP seasons.
"We're very excited about our new two-year partnership with Fiat," said Lin Jarvis, managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing. "Fiat, like Yamaha, is a truly global brand and we feel that there is a great match between our two companies. It's good for our sport to welcome a new sponsor of Fiat's calibre and we feel sure that they will enjoy their involvement with our team. We look forward to working with them over the coming two seasons and hopefully sharing many victories together."
Although on paper one of the most lucrative sponsorship opportunities in MotoGP, it has taken until just five days before the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix for Yamaha and Fiat to be in a position to formally announce the deal - and reveal the team's new blue and white racing colours.
The rumoured reason behind the delay was the issue of Fiat using Rossi's image for promotional purposes - something the company is naturally be very keen to do in order to help sell cars, but which apparently requires a separate agreement to that of team title sponsor.
However, such contractually problems have (presumably) now been overcome and Rossi will thus ride with non-tobacco branding for the first time since leaving Repsol Honda at the end of 2003 - and is likely to develop his Fiat involvement through rallying and perhaps even further Ferrari tests, should both parties express an interest.
But for now all attention is on winning back the MotoGP title Rossi and Yamaha lost to Nicky Hayden and Honda during a dramatic 2006 season - and all the signs from testing are that the Rossi/M1 combination will be hard to beat in the first season of 800cc racing... Crash.net | |
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