Yesterday we concluded our article on Silvano Galbusera telling us that logically, the official Yamaha riders should try the new 2019 engine(s) from the post-Valencia Grand Prix tests which will take place on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 November on the Ricardo Tormo circuit.
Lynn Jarvis, interviewed at length in Sepang by Neil Morrison for the Crash.net website, confirms this as well as, according to our serious British colleague, the presence of Yamaha alongside Honda, Ducati and KTM at the MotoGP test which will take place in Jerez on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 November (while last year the firm of Iwata had preferred to do her testing alone, in Sepang).
Lynn Jarvis : “Of course we will test the new engine there, yes. We have two tests [one in Valencia, the other in Jerez], both important. With each different test, we will try different things. But I would still say that in Valencia we will start with the main thing, and then we will see what happens. I can't give you any more details."
With the end of life of the 2018 engine approaching, the head of the MotoGP program for Yamaha nevertheless confirms the rumors which have circulated in the paddock throughout this year, namely that the delivery of power by the in-line 4-cylinder engine has indeed was a point that handicapped Valentino Rossi et Maverick Vinales this season.
Lynn Jarvis : “I definitely think a smoother engine would have been beneficial for our drivers. I think the engine is a little harsh in the low revs, at the beginning of the opening, at the first contact [with the accelerator]. This is definitely one of the most important things. Electronics are the other thing. The way to manage and work with the new unique software. I am convinced that our competitors have an advantage over us because they have a better understanding of how to work with the system. That means we struggled on low-traction trails, we struggled with skating, and we struggled with traction. Very often our riders come out of a corner and can only touch the accelerator and open it when the bike straightens out, while it seems that our competitors are more or less able to automatically open the accelerator and everything is self-managed. It then adapts on its own and they move away from the bend. This is where we struggled.
So, I think it's a combination of both things. We need to do both well for next year. I think what you say is true. Our chassis is pretty nice. We weren't able to use it on certain circuits because of this problem with grip and traction, [and it] was also linked to braking. So one of the great strengths of Yamaha is being able to engage quickly [into the corner], but if you can't brake the bike, you can't take advantage of that strong point of the bike. I think Phillip Island is a track where there's not really any hard or heavy braking, and so that has favored our strengths and minimized our weaknesses. These are the areas where we need to work. So I think we know what we have to do. But nevertheless, we must do it.”
Over the months, Yamaha identified the weak point of its 2018 engine but, due to regulations, could do nothing other than be patient and find some small palliative improvements. as Silvano Galbusera recently explained.
The 2019 season will begin on Tuesday November 20 in Valencia with a lot of hopes and, in this regard, it will be very interesting to observe the faces of the Yamaha riders as well as their times broadcast live on the official website MotoGP.com...
