On the occasion of the official presentation of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team, the team's General Manager Lin Jarvis spoke at length with Vale, whose points of view follow.
You are starting your twelfth season with Yamaha, out of a total of around twenty. Where do you still find your motivation?
“It’s always difficult, and more and more every year. In this part of my career which begins with my return to Yamaha in 2013, I changed chief mechanic in 2014 and started working with Silvano. I feel good, focused, with good motivation. What makes the difference is the passion for motorcycle racing. It is always a great pleasure to work with my team and with Yamaha.
You rode the 2017 Yamaha for four days. From your point of view, what are its strong points?
“We had already reached a very high level of performance and now we need to work on the small details. We need to improve in particular the second part of the race, where we suffered a little last year with the Michelins. But the impression is good, the engine is faster. We also found room for improvement on the chassis.
After the last two days of testing, what progress have you asked the engineers to make over the winter?
“First of all to improve acceleration out of corners, in particular with electronics. From this point of view, our engineers are very good. There is still potential to work on.
Your last three seasons have been excellent, even if you want to end this streak of three second places. How can you progress?
“This moment in my career is like a dream. The most important thing for me this year will be to be faster and more competitive. I try to fight for victory in every race. Finishing second three times is negative from a certain point of view because I didn't win, but there are more positives than negatives because I was always there to fight for the title in the last three seasons.
What more can Yamaha and the team do to help you?
“Yamaha did a fantastic job at the end of 2014, and in 2015 we clearly had the best bike. We won a lot of races and finished first and second in the championship. The bike remained competitive last year, but in the second part of the season our competitors improved more than us. We need to put positive pressure on our engineers to improve.
One of your strengths in your career has been keeping the same people on your team. Will it be the same this year?
“Yes, keeping this very good group is important. There have been some changes since it was formed in 2000, but it will remain the same.
You should not miss a single race, so it is necessary to be well trained. Are you going to change anything about your training for this year?
“Every year I work more in this field, or more precisely I work better. So there will be some small modifications, some differences. But the preparation will continue in the same direction.
You have a new teammate in Maverick, who was very fast during testing. What is your opinion after seeing him ride the bike?
“I hope Vinales will be less of a problem compared to Lorenzo (laughing). But unfortunately from the first test he was very strong. Yamaha has a very good team this year. Maverick is the young guy and I'm the old guy, which means you can have the madness, the speed and the freshness of the young guy, as well as the experience of the old guy. I think it makes a good team. I'm used to having a strong teammate at Yamaha. This is how the team works, and I think it's the right way. From one point of view it's difficult, from the other it's a great motivation.
Can the teammate help the team achieve better performance?
“First of all, both must have respect for each other. It is important to work in the same direction to improve the bike. We have to make it more competitive to come first and second in the championship.
What advice would you give to your new teammate?
“I give him advice about other drivers, a little less about me (laughing). He is still very fast. He doesn't need advice because he is already very strong. He's ready after two years on a factory bike. He knows how to work within an official team. For him everything will be easier because he now has a better bike. I hope it doesn't go too fast!
You ride, but also work with your teams, the Ranch, your merchandising company, the Riders Academy, the Yamaha Academy... So many activities, isn't it tiring?
“At the beginning I started step by step because the most important thing for me is to go fast on the bike. Then over time I discovered that these activities didn't take up that much time. The big pressure for me is on the circuit to try to win races. The rest is very easy. I have a good group of friends around me, and we work with young drivers, which is very positive. It's fun, it's not work. I leave the hardest work to the other guys, I'm the driver (laughing).
Yamaha brought five Asian riders for a Mastercamp at the Academy last year. What memory do you have of it?
“We concentrated the one-week program into three days. It was very good because it could also be my future. It helps young drivers to develop. Everything went well, and one of them will be doing something with us this year, but it's a surprise.
Can this concept become more international?
" Of course. We took care of Asia because it is very important for Yamaha, but it can work for the whole world. It helps them to be stronger, faster, at the top.
Do you plan to compete in other car rallies?
“I would like to, but I prefer to be focused on MotoGP during the season. Outside, I can do for example Monza. When I stop motorcycling, I hope to race for several seasons in the car. It's more comfortable, we're seated. I really like car racing and motor sports in general.
Would you like to do the Dakar?
“That’s one of my goals. But it's very hard, you have to be well prepared. And of course I will do it by car because on a motorbike it's a bit dangerous. We'll see, but for the moment I'm more focused on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is my first goal because I feel better on a circuit.
Do you regret not going to F1?
“No, I think it was the right decision. After 2006 I had good seasons in motorcycling, with good races, good fights, so I have no regrets. I thought about it on the plane on the way to F1 testing and decided I wasn't ready.
Will you have time to snowboard this winter?
“Probably during a weekend because I really like the mountains. My family took me there when I was little, and now I go there with a good group of friends. But often once the tests start I don't have time. I've already been there eight or nine days this winter, which isn't bad. »
