Yamaha to unveil 2007 livery on March 5

[Kneedown]

The Factory Yamaha Team will finally unveil its 2007 MotoGP race livery during a special launch at Milan, Italy, on March 5.

The launch, which will take place just five days before the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, is expected to see Fiat officially confirmed as the team's new title sponsor.

Former five-times MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi and ex-double World Superbike champion Colin Edwards will again represent Yamaha's factory team during what will be the first season of 800cc racing.

Cigarette manufacturer Camel was Yamaha's title sponsor during 2006. Rossi and Edwards have since ridden in a variety of temporary colours during pre-season testing.

[Stu]

Rossi's new leathers for the MotoGP group photo may give some indication of
what to expect...
Stu

[Ken Oath]

Rossi's new leathers for the MotoGP group photo may give some indication of
what to expect...
Stu[/b]

Sponsorship by Fiat???

[Ken Oath]

It's official.

Blue & white.

Fiat

Pix here.

Rossi & Fiat

It took a while, but the announcement is done.

[Rooster]

Link fubar.

Try that.

Dont know if i like actually.....

http://www.motoblog.it/post/6662/anteprima...-800-di-rossi-2

[sathid]

you've got the weblink and the name of the weblink around the wrong way I think. linky no worky

seems wrong somehow having a big logo of a car manufacturer on the side of a yam.

[Kneedown]

Doesn't look too inspiring...but money talks...

[Pkunk]

Yeah those colours dont exactly stand out do they

Fiat - Yamaha seems funny tho

whats next? Honda - Holden supercar race team?

[FJ Steve]

From Crash.net today.....
Preview - Qatar Grand Prix.
Wed 07 Mar, 07:30 AM

The 2007 MotoGP season starts this weekend in Qatar with a new reigning world champion in Nicky Hayden and new 800cc motorcycles - but Valentino Rossi is still seen as the man to beat.

The talented Italian's five-year reign literally came crashing down around him at last season's Valencian season finale, helping Hayden seize the crown after a faultless ride, but Rossi has bounced back menacingly during pre-season testing and looks in awesome form on his new Fiat Yamaha. At this stage, few would bet against The Doctor winning his third successive Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday.

By contrast, Hayden's preparations haven't been so smooth. The Repsol Honda rider had an operation on the shoulder he injured in the infamous crash with team-mate Dani Pedrosa in Portugal last year and then produced mixed results in testing - with the Qatar outing a notable low point. The Kentuckian may not be a winner this weekend but he will certainly be looking for the sort of solid trouble-free points-scoring ride that swept him to the title last year.

But Rossi's biggest threat, both in Qatar and over the season as a whole, could come in the form of Pedrosa. The former 125 and double 250cc world champion made a sensational MotoGP debut last year - his Estoril antics aside - and has been very impressive in pre-season testing, especially at Jerez last week where he pushed Rossi to the limit during the 'qualifying session'. The race on Saturday could mark the first of many 2007 battles between the pair.

But others would dismiss such Pedrosa hype - including Italians Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri, who both won one more race than Pedrosa last year (three each) and finished above him, third and fourth respectively, in the championship despite being injured.

Former 125 and 250cc world champion Capirossi could have been a serious title contender for Marlboro Ducati if he hadn't been hurt in the first-turn Barcelona crash and a fired-up Loris views this season as perhaps his last chance to win the title. Capirossi knows he needs Hayden-like season-long consistency as well as wins - and the new Ducati looks like it could deliver just that.

Capirossi's is joined by Casey Stoner, who replaces the retired Sete Gibernau. The 21 year-old Australian made an impressive MotoGP debut last year on the LCR Honda which included a pole position in Qatar in only his second MotoGP race. Stoner has the skill and machinery to take his debut win this season, and is something of a Qatar specialist...

Meanwhile, Melandri was also an unwitting victim of the Barcelona carnage - without which he too could have put more title pressure on Rossi and Hayden - and will hope that Gresini Honda's winter switch to Bridgestone tyres will help bridge the gap to the full factory riders after complaining of insufficient horsepower during testing. Marco's team-mate will once again be Spaniard Toni Elias who secured a magnificent win at Estoril last year, but has had a somewhat troubled pre-season adapting to the new tyres.

Former World Superbike champion Colin Edwards is still seeking that elusive first grand prix victory but, like team-mate Rossi, has adapted extremely well to the new 800cc Yamaha and is predicting his best season ever. Other riders to impress in testing have been Frenchman Randy De Puniet and the Rizla Suzuki pair of John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen. de Puniet, who is joined at Kawasaki by former 250cc world champion Olivier Jacque, had a problematic debut season last year but has been flying this year.

The 800cc Suzukis have also impressed, although Hopkins is still recovering from a high speed testing accident in Qatar a couple of weeks ago - but will be fit to ride alongside Australian Vermeulen, who had such an impressive debut season last year. Former 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts made way for Vermeulen at Suzuki last season, but returned 'home' to his father's Oxfordshire-based KR team and took the Michelin-shod, Honda powered, machine to two podiums.

Spanish veteran Carlos Checa replaces Stoner at LCR Honda while his place at Tech 3 Yamaha is taken by former double grand prix winner Makoto Tamada who is joined by French 250cc star Sylvain Guintoli. Shinya Nakano left Kawasaki to take over from Tamada in the Konica Minolta Honda team, while Brazilian veteran Alex Barros returns to MotoGP after a year in World Superbikes. He partners German Alex Hoffman in the re-vitalised Pramac d'Antin Ducati team who will be using Bridgestone tyres.

The new Ilmor team, under the direction of Formula One engine guru Mario Illien, will take on the big boys for its first full season with Australian Andrew Pitt and 42 year-old Ulsterman Jeremy McWilliams at the controls of the X3.

While the MotoGP machines have had their engine capacity reduced by one fifth this season, and new tyre and fuel restrictions put in place, don't expect the racing to be any slower.

Pre-season testing indicates that both lap and pole setting records will be demolished during the 18-round 2007 championship, while the list of potential winners is larger than ever - with Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and Suzuki all looking capable of winning, while a 'reborn' Kawasaki is confident of causing an upset.

Supporting the MotoGP class at all but the US Grand Prix will again be the rising stars of the 125 and 250cc World Championships.

Flamboyant Spanish teenager Jorge Lorenzo will defend his first 250cc world title with Fortuna Aprilia and can expect a rough ride from his former team-mate Hector Barbara, Italian Andre Dovizioso, Alex De Angelis and the Japanese trio of Hiroshi and Shuhei Aoyama and Yuki Takahashi plus former 125cc stars, world champion Alvaro Bautista and runner-up Mika Kallio.

The departure of Bautista and Kallio has blown the outcome of the 125cc Championship wide apart with the likes of Gabor Talmacsi, Sergio Gadea, Hector Faubel and Lukas Pesek looking to replace them. The official Honda team continue to put their efforts behind British youngster Bradley Smith, this year teaming him up with young Spanish hope Esteve Rabat.

[SONIC]

[/b]

is it just me....or can anyone else see some cold nipples under a white sheet?

I thought at least one of the guys would have picked it up by now..

[Rich]

Now that you've pointed it out yes....

and that paint job just doesn't do it for me..

[SONIC]

yeah me either..

actually the white sheet looks better!

[Rich]

Yeah, but only because of the nipply bits...

now that you've pointed them out it's all I can see..

[SONIC]

Yeah, but only because of the nipply bits...

now that you've pointed them out it's all I can see..[/b]

Boys..