Yamaha has started track testing of its V4 engine

It seems that it is on the Valencia side, where the championship final will be played MotoGP, that the Yamaha V4 made its first turns of the wheel. Always faithful to the four-cylinder in-line engine, of which it is the last representative since Suzuki's withdrawal, Yamaha had to face the facts: if all the competition has switched to the V4, it becomes complicated or even impossible to compete. The V4 engine has the advantage of being more compact, and of offering greater flexibility for aerodynamic choices and center of gravity. At a time when spoilers have flourished on fairings, a trend that the 2027 regulations should limit but not completely abolish, changing engine architecture proved to be a choice that was imposed on Yamaha.

The regular drivers called later during development

Massimo Bartolini, Technical Director of the Iwata brand, has confirmed the start of track testing of the new prototype. Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow will first be tasked with taking the new engine for the first time. fabio quartararo and Alex Rins, the regular riders of the official Yamaha team, will take the handlebars of the machine when its development has reached a more advanced stage.

"We have started testing the V4 engine.", did he declare on the official MotoGP website. "Then, as for when the official riders will be able to participate in the tests, that will depend on our current development. When the bike is ready, we will give it to them as soon as possible. Developing a bike and an engine takes time, we are only at the beginning of development."

Unlimited test drives thanks to dealerships

Thanks to Yamaha's concessions, its testing is somewhat unlimited and can involve factory riders. Ducati, the brand that has dominated MotoGP for several seasons, for example, has much stricter restrictions in this area, as it cannot count on its factory riders Marc Márquez and Francesco Bagnaia. For the manufacturers in the D category, of which Yamaha is a part, the engine specifications are free, which technically means that we could see the V4 engine in action next year, or even sooner. Bartolini warns, however, that if his teams don't believe the new bike has greater potential than the old one, it will stay in the garage.

"For now, we haven't been able to clearly compare the performances, but as soon as we can, we'll analyze everything. We'll go ahead with the bike that's the faster of the two. Next season's bike will have a V4, if the bike with the V4 is faster than the current bike."

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