Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo scrap tough to manage

Yamaha bosses have admitted the epic MotoGP title fight between factory team-mates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo will pose a tough management challenge as the 2009 season unfolds.

Rossi and Lorenzo’s rivalry is expected to intensify further after the pair starred in a memorable Catalunya MotoGP clash last weekend.

Italian Rossi won the race with a daring last corner overtake on Lorenzo, who thought he had notched a famous victory in the pair’s first titanic scrap.

And while Yamaha is in a luxury position of having two of the top riders in the world fighting for the championship in its factory team, the intense rivalry likely to emerge will be complex to manage, admitted Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis.

He told MCN: “I have no doubt it will be tricky. Although Jorge is very young he is mature beyond his years and we’ve seen that increase hugely from last year. Valentino of course is the statesman of the sport and he’s got so much experience. Both of them are professionals and absolutely focused on winning. They are not focused on each other but they are very much focused on their own game.”

“I have the hope and belief that it will be a fair but tough fight between them. Casey (Stoner) is also there all of the time so I don’t think it will be just a three-way fight. Even if they are not fighting together, the management of two high profile riders is something that has to be done well. So far this season has gone well and I’m hopeful and optimistic it will continue.”