Valentino Rossi Becomes Yamaha’s Brand Ambassador
Valentino Rossi, the nine-time MotoGP world champion, has signed a multi-year ambassador service agreement with Yamaha, marking a significant milestone in the iconic racer’s long-standing relationship with the Japanese motorcycle brand. Rossi, who won four of his MotoGP titles with Yamaha, retired after the 2021 season but continued using Yamaha bikes for training and leisure.
Rossi said about the new agreement, “For sure, this agreement between me and Yamaha gives a great emotion. We have worked together for many years, so it feels natural. During my MotoGP career, I rode Yamaha bikes as part of my contract, but even after retiring, I kept using Yamaha bikes because I enjoyed it. I’m happy that the agreement is now signed, so Yamaha and I get to work together in this new set-up.”
Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis expressed his delight at the news, saying, “Valentino and his M1 shared a special bond. His arrival at Yamaha was the catalyst that completely changed our MotoGP racing program to the point that Valentino and Yamaha almost became synonymous. Together we achieved many wins, podiums, and four championships, and then there are also the moments behind the scenes: the hard work, the fun parts, and the shared passion for racing. We always considered Valentino as ‘family’, and as soon as he expressed his desire to keep using Yamaha bikes and to become a brand ambassador, we went to work to make it happen. We are thrilled that Valentino is now officially our ambassador.”
This brand news comes amid ongoing speculation that Rossi’s VR46 team, which currently uses Ducati machinery, could become Yamaha’s satellite team in the future. VR46, which runs Marco Bezzecchi and Rossi’s younger brother Luca Marini on 2022 spec Desmosedicis, has a contract with Ducati until the end of next season in the premier-class but already runs the Yamaha MasterCamp team in Moto2. With Rossi now a Yamaha Brand Ambassador, whether this partnership will lead to further collaboration between the two brands remains to be seen.