Misano MotoGP: Valentino Rossi to gamble with new Yamaha engine

Valentino Rossi is planning to gamble on running Yamaha’s new pneumatic valve factory YZR-M1 engine in tomorrow’s Misano MotoGP, despite concerns over whether he’ll finish the 28-lap race.

The Italian confirmed engineers had concerns over fuel consumption with the new engine, which has a marginal performance improvement in top speed in fifth and sixth gear.

Rossi first tested the new engine at a two-day test session immediately after last month’s Czech Republic MotoGP in Brno. With the data gathered in Brno, Yamaha flew in a further updated spec to San Marino to try and help Rossi’s bid for victory in front of his home crowd tomorrow.

Rossi is 60-points adrift of world championship leader Casey Stoner and he hasn’t scored a podium since his victory over the Australian in Assen at the end of June.
He said: “I like the new engine. It works well. The difference is not a lot but it works like we expect. We are 2km/h faster even though the straights here are quite short. We have made an improvement, especially in the high gears. I think I will use it even if it is quite difficult for the fuel consumption to make the whole race. It depends on the temperature and other factors.”

Rossi admitted fuel consumption with the new motor is a little bit worse than the previous conventional spring valve YZR-M1 and he added: “We are already at the limit with the normal one, so we have to make our calculations and then decide. From my point of view I want to try to use this engine. Now the engineers will try to understood how risky it would be, but I think we try.”

Fuel capacity was slashed to 21-litres for 2007 but as yet nobody has failed to finish a race because of running out of fuel. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden both broke down with no fuel remaining on the slowing down lap of the Dutch GP after their podium finishes.