Rossi close to new Yamaha deal
Added on Friday, May 30th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Rossi now committed to Yamaha despite past disagreements
Valentino Rossi is “90% close” to signing a new contract at Yamaha Racing, with only minor details to be ironed out, according to the Italian rider.
The current MotoGP championship leader has previously admitted that he was keen to sign on with the Japanese marque after several seasons of uncertainty over his future and it now appears that the 29-year-old is all set to sign on the dotted line.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, Rossi revealed, “I have to speak with Masao Furusawa and Lin Jarvis during the weekend.
“The atmosphere is very relaxed. It is possible to continue, it isn´t confirmed yet but it is more than 90% likely.
“Now we have to decide on a one or two year contract. The contract is quite big so we have some difficult points to fix, but I think it will be done as soon as possible with no surprises.”
The revelation will be good news for Yamaha fans, who have seen Rossi end a seven-race winless streak with two consecutive victories taking him to the top of the riders championship.
Allayed to the form of Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha have leapt to the top of the constructor’s championship.
And Rossi believes that he can improve his lead further on his home circuit this weekend.
“It is a special race for me and all the Italian riders because it is our home Grand Prix and also because the track is fantastic, maybe one of the best ones of the year,” he added.
“Plus with the crowd, especially on a Sunday it is great, with so many people. Also, I have always been quite fast here!
“We arrive in good form, with the tyres and the bike, and I think we can be quite competitive again.
“The layout here is fantastic, with a lot of different types of chicane and a lot of ups and downs.”
