Yamaha unveils its V4 engine at Misano

This Thursday in Italy, Yamaha presented its new V4 engine at the Misano circuit. A project that the brand has been working on behind the scenes for many seasons, and the result is about to be tested for the first time in a Grand Prix.

This weekend, at the San Marino Grand Prix, Augusto Fernandez, the Japanese manufacturer's test rider, will ride the new bike in a wildcard appearance. He will therefore be the first to let the new power unit roar in an official session.

After a first experience on this machine during private tests organized in Barcelona, ​​the day after the Catalan Grand Prix, the regular riders of the factory team, fabio quartararo and Alex Rins will also have the opportunity to take to the track with the V4 at Misano. However, they will have to wait until the Official Test this Monday to put the engine to the test.

“I’m really looking forward to racing the new bike, Augusto Fernandez said at the press conference in Italy. It's an honor to be part of such an important project for Yamaha and to be the first to ride the new bike! This weekend, we'll focus on improving our V4-powered prototype and defining its strengths and weaknesses by riding with the other riders. MotoGP, in real time, in race conditions. So it will be an important weekend, which will allow us to see where we are. So I am very excited to participate in this Grand Prix and I can't wait to get out there."

The event also allowed Yamaha to formalize the contract renewal of the leader of its Test team for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Why did Yamaha choose a V4?

Currently, the M1s entered by the Iwata factory are the only bikes on the grid equipped with an inline-four, instead of a V4 with a 90-degree opening. This solution has been adopted by other manufacturers in recent years, particularly due to the top speed offered by the latter option.

While each of the two architectures has its strengths and drawbacks, placing the cylinders in a V, rather than in a line, allows for more power to be extracted from the engine, while reducing vibrations. Many factors come into play when adapting one motorcycle to another, which obviously influences the management to be adopted.

This weekend therefore represents an important deadline for Yamaha, just over a year before the MotoGP regulation change, which will reduce engine displacement from 1000 to 850cc. The Grand Prix will allow the brand to make an important decision: the date of the definitive introduction of what is currently the centerpiece of Yamaha's MotoGP project. For the moment, the target date remains the 2026 season. The brand's management also rules out the possibility of factory riders borrowing this machine for the remaining six rounds of the current year.

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