Yamaha plays joker card with new gearbox

MotoGP News

Date: 13/September/2013

Their backs against the wall in terms of the MotoGP title chase, Yamaha has decided to play its joker card in the form of a new seamless shift gearbox at this weekend’s Misano round.

Versions of the seamless gearbox have been used by Honda and Ducati since 2011, with Jorge Lorenzo and the returning Valentino Rossi incessantly pushing Yamaha to respond.

The Yamaha seamless debut was held in private at Brno in August, after which further modifications were made. The announcement that the gearbox would be used in this weekend’s San Marino round was only made on Thursday afternoon.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Racing, said: "The gearbox is completely new for us, a Yamaha designed system. You always take some risk [with reliability], but there is a points' deficit to Honda and we need to use whatever is available to challenge them in the last six races."

Yamaha hope the gearbox can help its reigning double World Champion Lorenzo to close the 39 point gap to Marc Marquez, whose Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa is also nine points ahead of Lorenzo.

Unfortunately for Yamaha, while both Rossi and Lorenzo were delighted with the gearbox during Friday practice, it was again Marquez and Pedrosa that topped the timesheets - although Rossi and Lorenzo were a close third and fourth respectively.

The main gain from the seamless gearbox - which acts like an automatic rather than manual gearbox - is not in terms of straight-line acceleration, but through smoother gear changes while cornering.

Rossi said: “Yamaha has made a fantastic job with the gearbox; it is a great help for the riders. It's not a big advantage with lap time but the bike becomes a lot easier to ride, more stable in acceleration and less wheelie. You can concentrate more on riding, it is less demanding so I think for the race it will be a big help.”  

Lorenzo, winner at Misano for the last two years, agreed - but warned the gearbox isn’t a magic cure.

“I'm really happy to have the new gearbox. It is working well, it's faster and more easy to ride.  But it's not all about the seamless. At the moment we are still a little behind the Hondas but I'm very motivated and confident we can go faster tomorrow.”