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Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Ready for 2022 Title Quest

February 4, 2022

February 4, 2022—Today, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team held their Online Team Presentation to officially open their 2022 campaign. Spearheaded by two young and competitive riders, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, the team is eager for the 2022 MotoGP World Championship kick-off in Qatar in March.

To set the tone for the upcoming MotoGP season, newly-appointed General Manager Motorsports Development Division of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Takahiro Sumi, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal & Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli, Factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, and Monster Energy’s Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington shared their thoughts on the team’s past successes as well as its 2022 potential.

The colour scheme of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes remains the same for 2022, with the team’s YZR-M1, the pit box, and the riders’ leathers sporting a ‘Monster Energy black’ to ‘Yamaha Factory Racing blue’ gradient. The perfect blend between Yamaha’s aesthetic and Monster Energy’s instantly recognisable claw branding is also represented in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team logo and on the team uniforms.

Yamaha has a long-term global alliance with the team’s title sponsor, Monster Energy Company, based on their mutual passion for racing. A multiple-year title sponsorship agreement with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team was signed in the summer of 2018 and came naturally, as Monster Energy Company sponsors multiple Yamaha teams (among them the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team since 2013) and riders (including Quartararo and Morbidelli) in various racing classes.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP is also pleased to announce that throughout the 2022 racing season the bike will continue to feature the slogans of Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Yamaha Motor Philippines, and PT Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing, starting from the first two IRTA Tests held from 5-6 February in Sepang, Malaysia and from 11-13 February in Mandalika, Indonesia.

The team also welcomes with open arms their new Official Sponsors in 2022, including:

MSI, the most trusted name in gaming and eSports;

Debem, a cutting-edge company specialized in designing and producing industrial pumps for highly demanding environments;

Tanida, a global leader company in sand casting;

Pont Grup, a company specialized in providing insurance broker services to individuals, with more than 25 years of experience;

Capit, leader in the production of professional tyre warmers since 1996;

Axalta, a global coating company focused on providing customers with innovative colourful and sustainable solutions. Their logos will be gracing the team assets.

Moreover, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team is delighted to confirm the continuation of its relationship with numerous Official Sponsors and Official Partners, including:

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Monster Energy Company
Eneos
Blue Core
Yamalube
Akrapovic
Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing/Semakin Di Depan
Yamaha Motor Philippines/MIO
MSI
Thailand Yamaha Motor/Beyond the Limits
Oakley
Alpinestars
VR46
bLU cRU
Gilles Tooling
RCB
Furukawa Electrics
Debem
Tanida
DID
NGK Spark Plugs
BMC Air Filters
Pont Grup
Capit
2D
BETA Tools
Axalta
Yamaha Corporation (Yamaha Music)
Michelin

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Alpinestars
Siemens-LMS
BLS
BETA Tools
GOM
RCM
Toyota Material Handling
3M Peltor
ParkingGO
Flex
Synlab
Airbank

HOSPITALITY PARTNERS

Mokador
Ca' dei Frati
Pastificio Artigiano Fabbri
Macelleria Belli
Azienda Olearia del Chianti

For 2022, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team continue their alliance with VR46 Racing Apparel. They will manufacture the official teamwear, all provided with a prominent VR46 Racing Apparel logo. Identical official teamwear products will be on sale to Yamaha fans throughout the global dealer network and at racetrack merchandise sales points.

Additionally, eagle-eyed fans will spot the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP staff and riders don new facemasks supplied by BLS. The team is delighted to have them as a new Official Partner, as the team continuously strives to enhance its safety measures to keep riders and staff safe and healthy throughout the whole championship season amidst the ongoing global pandemic.

Furthermore, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team continue to support Yamaha’s bLU cRU programme, encouraging a younger generation of on-road riders to follow their dream to become the next motorcycle racing star. Quartararo and Morbidelli are ambassadors of the programme and will serve as role models for all Yamaha’s young talents.

With the upcoming season shaping up nicely, currently projected to count 21 GP rounds, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider Cal Crutchlow will be joining Quartararo and Morbidelli at the Official MotoGP Sepang Test, as Yamaha is putting all hands on deck to start their 2022 campaign off on the right foot. 　　　　　

Takahiro Sumi - General Manager Motorsports Development Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
“First of all, I want to say ‘Thank you for your support’ to all Yamaha MotoGP fans around the world. In 2021, YMC’s Motorsports Development Division worked closely together with the riders and teams to put in Yamaha’s bid for the MotoGP World Title. It resulted in our first Premier Class Trophy since 2015, a great achievement! We dedicated the win to our loyal supporters. We are starting this new season with the mindset of a challenger and we want to make our fans proud of us again. We have an exciting rider line-up in Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in the Factory Team and the vastly-experienced Andrea Dovizioso and new talent Darryn Binder in the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team, so we are confident that this year our fans will again have a lot of exciting racing to look forward to.”

Lin Jarvis - Yamaha Motor Racing Srl’s Managing Director & Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal
“Last year’s title victory was the best way to give back something special to Monster Energy Company to express our thanks for their continuous support and faith in our team. This year, we are entering our tenth year with Monster Energy as our sponsor and our fourth season with them as our title sponsor. They are fully immersed in and dedicated to motorsports and our strong global alliance makes our brands instantly connected. The 2021 Title win with Monster Energy as title sponsor was the absolute highlight of our successful partnership so far. The same goes for our many other official team sponsors, partners, and suppliers. Their commitment and love for MotoGP makes it possible for us to keep competing at the top-tier of motorcycle racing for what will be the third MotoGP season during this ongoing global pandemic. Our goals this year are to challenge to win the Rider title again and to have both riders strong all year to try to win the Constructor and Team titles even if we know it will be tough in the face of very stiff competition from all the other factories. With Fabio and Franky steering our M1s supported by our top-class team and engineers in Japan & Europe we are excited to start testing to prepare for the 2022 MotoGP season.”

Massimo Meregalli - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Team Director
“Let me start by saying that we are, of course, very happy to have won the 2021 World Championship with Fabio last year. But being the reigning World Champion comes with a bit of added pressure. We are highly aware that winning a championship one time is relatively easy compared to trying to win it two times in a row. So, the heat is on! We are all starting from zero again, and we have a long season ahead of us with 21 GPs on the calendar. We can’t afford to dwell too much on the past: we need to focus on the task ahead and move forward if we want to finish first again. The team’s morale is great, and the atmosphere has never been better. The new crew members that joined us last year have gelled incredibly well with the other staff. As Team Director I couldn’t ask for a better crew to start this next title quest with. We are also very lucky to have such a strong rider line-up. Both Fabio and Franco are undisputed talents, and their riding suits our bike too. One of them will be looking to confirm his dominance in the MotoGP field, while the other is eager to showcase his full potential now that he is getting closer to a full recovery from his injury, so we are ready to fight.”

　　　　
　　　　
　　　　

　　　　

Fabio Quartararo - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The winter break was quite long, but if I’m honest I feel like I kept busy the whole time. There were many events for me to attend, and of course training continued as normal – so all in all it was quite busy, but in a good way. I’m excited to begin the new season and start riding and improving. We got the title last year, and that’s great. Nobody can ever take that away from me, but as of the first day of riding, none of that matters anymore. Last year’s title win is behind us now, we must focus on this year’s championship. Last year we barely did any pre-season testing due to the pandemic. This year I already have a year of experience with the Factory Team, so we know how to work well together. We know our strengths and where we can improve, so that will help during the tests in Sepang and Mandalika.”

　　　　

　　　　

Franco Morbidelli - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“Last year was all about showing mental strength whilst working on improving my physical strength. It was not easy to come back after the surgery on my knee, but the work that I did last year will be beneficial for me at the start of this season. We already have some data to work with, and I’m already familiar with the bike and the team. I have always had a good feeling on the Yamaha, but this M1 is so smooth. I can’t wait to start riding the 2022 bike now that my knee is in a better condition. I’m very interested to see how our progress will continue. I also look forward to seeing the whole team again at the tests. The atmosphere in the team was really nice last year, so let's see what steps we can make during winter testing.”