Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Racing showed their desire for renewed success today at the Sepang International Circuit as the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ team opened their garage doors to a select group of media representatives.

The colour scheme of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ YZR-M1, the pit box, the riders’ leathers, and the team clothing had stayed the same. The most instantly notable changes were the livery featuring some new sponsors and Yamaha’s updates on the personnel and organisational front.

Fabio Quartararo remains a fan favourite and is determined to come back fighting to make 2024 his year. This season he is joined by new teammate Alex Rins, who brings a ton of fresh technical and riding expertise to the team.

Besides Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™’s new rider line-up, the Yamaha management also underwent some changes for 2024. General Manager Motor Sports Development Division of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Takahiro Sumi will now be working closely with new Yamaha YZR-M1 Project Leader Kazuhiro Masuda and new Yamaha Factory Racing Technical Director Massimo Bartolini.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team Principal & Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team Director Massimo Meregalli remain at the helm of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ equipe, while the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team and its rider Cal Crutchlow will be led by Kazutoshi Seki in 2024. With a refreshed company structure in place, all those involved in the MotoGP™ project are fully motivated to make big steps this season.

Throughout 2024, the Factory Yamaha MotoGP™ team can once again count on team title sponsor Monster Energy Company’s full support. Yamaha has a long-term global alliance with Monster Energy Company based on their mutual passion for racing. Yamaha and Monster Energy’s strong multi-year relationship is evident in the iconic and instantly recognisable Monster claw branding prominently displayed in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team logo, on the team uniforms, and on the bikes. The 2024 bike livery again consists of the camouflage look that perfectly blends Yamaha’s colours with the adventurous lifestyle colour scheme of Monster Energy.

PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MotoGP™ LAUNCH

During the 2024 MEYM Season Launch event, Quartararo and Rins expressed their high motivation for the MotoGP™ Official Sepang Test (6-8 February) and the MotoGP Official Qatar Test (19-20 February) where they will try various testing items before the MotoGP™ season kicks off with the Grand Prix of Qatar (8-10 March).

The upcoming MotoGP™ season is shaping up to be a big one, currently projected to count 21 GP rounds and 42 races, as the MotoGP™ race weekend format will once more consist of a MotoGP Sprint on the Saturday and a MotoGP™ Race on the Sunday.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ team take this opportunity to sincerely thank their numerous long-standing Official Sponsors and Official Partners for their enthusiasm for motorcycle Grand Prix racing. Moreover, the team is delighted to welcome India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. (IYM) as a new addition to the list following the successful first-ever Indian GP in 2023.

Takahiro Sumi - General Manager, Motor Sports Development Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd & President, Yamaha Motor Racing:
“As many will know, YMC’s Motor Sports Development Division’s work towards renewed success in 2024 started already before the 2023 season ended. Yamaha’s main goal is and will always be to bring Kando* to its customers and fans. It therefore goes without saying that the company is fully dedicated to the cause of bringing the MotoGP trophy back to Yamaha with our new global team power. Based on the riders’ feedback, we have been working tirelessly to find new ways to improve our bike, and we know that Fabio and Álex as well as test rider Cal are keen to put the new 2024-spec bike to the test. It will be a long season again, but we are ready to put in the work and to compete head-on”

Lin Jarvis: Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing & Team Principal, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™:
“Last year was a tough season, but we have regrouped, restructured our organisation, and now we are ready to make a comeback. Having made significant changes to our MotoGP project team and with a new rider line-up, the team feel refreshed and ready to tackle the 2024 season. The Yamaha engineers have been working around the clock during the ‘winter break’ and kept developing the bike. So, though the livery remains the same for this season, there is much more to the 2024-spec M1 than is apparent at first glance.

“Another constant, which we are really grateful for, is the strong relationship with our official sponsors and partners. We are entering our twelfth year with Monster Energy Company as our sponsor and the sixth season with them as title sponsor. We are thankful to them and to our other official team sponsors, partners, and suppliers, with many of whom we have had long-term partnerships, for showing their full support to our project and our mission to excel in the super innovative, technically and physically challenging sport of MotoGP racing.

“At the start of the 2024 championship, we face 3 preseason tests followed by a 21-event calendar with 42 individual races, including the Sprints and main Races. In addition to that we have numerous IRTA tests throughout the season as well as many private tests where we can now use our GP riders due to the application of the new Concession rules for 2024. So, it will be a long and intense season, where both performance and endurance will count to achieve championship success.

“Having already started with the ‘Shakedown Test’, we will now begin the real season with the Official Sepang IRTA Test, which is where we can evaluate our performance versus our competitors. I believe this year will be one of the most exciting MotoGP seasons in recent times, and I hope the fans all around the world will enjoy the battles over the next 10 months. Let’s get started.”

Fabio Quartararo:
“It’s the start of the new season – that’s always exciting! Everyone is starting from zero points again, and I know both the team and I are super motivated to get as much work done as possible during the Sepang Test. A good start to 2024 – even if it’s just preseason tests – can result in a big advantage later on. So, as always, we will put everything we have into every day, every session, every run, and every lap. I know Yamaha has been working hard behind the scenes, so I think that if we keep pushing ourselves to the limit in all aspects, we should be able to have a great year together. I want to fight at the front, and I want to greet my fans from the top step of the podium again!”

Alex Rins:
“I already had my first taste of the M1 working with the Yamaha team at the Valencia Test and the Shakedown Test, but today’s 2024 MEYM Season Launch event makes me feel excited again as if it’s the first day. We had a good first run at the test in Valencia, so I was quite happy with that, and I can’t wait to continue the work here in Sepang tomorrow. I have many things to try, but I’m feeling confident. The bike seems easy to adapt to, so I think I will be able to make some further steps at the Sepang Test. I have been working a lot on my physical fitness to arrive here at the best possible level, and now all I want to do is start riding again!”