2009

Yamaha wins 10 out of the 17 races in the series

Rossi in Malaysia

A new regulation went into effect this season that made Bridgestone the MotoGP's sole tire supplier. Restrictions were also placed on engine usage, with each rider only able to use five engines in the last seven rounds of the season from round 11 (Czech Republic) onwards. The rider lineup for Yamaha remained unchanged, with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo riding for the Fiat Yamaha Team and Collin Edwards and James Toseland for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team. Rossi clinched the championship in the 16th round in Malaysia before the season was over. It was his seventh MotoGP title, and his fourth since joining Yamaha. Lorenzo finished the season 2nd, Edwards 5th and Toseland 12th. Yamaha once again claimed the triple crown of rider, manufacturer and team titles. Out of the 17 races, Rossi and Lorenzo took 10 wins between each other.

In the opening round in Qatar, a sudden downpour delayed the race 22 hours, to start at 9pm on Monday. Casey Stoner (Ducati) won the race, but Yamaha riders Rossi, Lorenzo, and Edwards took 2nd to 4th places. The Fiat Yamaha duo took a one-two finish in the following round in Japan, with Lorenzo 1st, and Rossi 2nd. Rossi then took his first win of the season in the Spanish GP. It was a "flag to flag" race in the fourth round in France. As the track was drying from the early part of the race, it was imperative for riders to switch to bikes with slick tires at the right time. Lorenzo rode hard on the wet tire choice even though the track surface was drying. He later switched to the dry set-up machine in the middle stages of the race to take his second win of the season. The following race in Italy was another wet race. Lorenzo fell in the sighting lap and had to start from the pit lane. Still, he made a strong recovery to finish 2nd. Rossi was behind him in 3rd and they shared the podium.

The sixth round in Catalunya turned into a showdown between teammates Rossi and Lorenzo. Rossi came out on top in the final corner of the final lap to finish ahead of Lorenzo. The roles were reversed however in the Netherlands in another one-two finish, this time Lorenzo ahead of Rossi. In Laguna Seca, Rossi took 2nd followed by Lorenzo. The duo continued to lead the championship. In round nine in Germany, they took their fourth one-two finish of the season. In the following race in the Czech Republic, Rossi won the race while Lorenzo finished with no points. In Indianapolis, Lorenzo took his third win of the season, which brought the margin between the two teammates down to 25 points. A championship battle between the Fiat Yamaha teammates was now inevitable. Returning to Europe, Rossi and Lorenzo took their fifth one-two finish in San Marino, with Rossi the winner. Lorenzo then won the next race in Portugal while Rossi finishing in 4th. The team title was clinched by Fiat Yamaha as a result of this race.

In Australia, Rossi took 2nd place while Lorenzo crashed out of the race. The point margin between the two increased to 38 points, and it looked certain that Rossi would take the championship after the following Malaysian GP. In the race in Malaysia, Rossi made an error in braking immediately after the start, which dropped him back to 10th position, but he made an amazing recovery to finish 3rd. This result secured Rossi the championship for the second year running. This was also his ninth career title. Rossi and Lorenzo finished 2nd and 3rd in the final race, bringing the manufacturer's title to Yamaha. Ben Spies, who was confirmed to be joining Yamaha for MotoGP next season participated in the final race and finished 7th.