MotoGP – Camel Yamaha, here is the announcement

For the series “No one noticed”. But please… The joint Yamaha-JTI press release regarding the Camel sponsorship for the official Tre Diapason team in the 2006 MotoGP was released today. Camel will sponsor the YZR M1s of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards this season, thus confirming the error on the Yamaha media site from two days ago that we showed you in preview and, subsequently, it was reported in the newspapers. Thus an incredible page of "secrecy" of agreements is closed, and a new chapter of legal battles opens between Altadis (which still holds a contract with Yamaha for 2006) and the house of Tre Diapason, of which we will follow every development.

“We are happy to have reached the agreement with JTI”, the words of Lin Jarvis, director of Yamaha Racing. “JTI has always been present in motorsport at the highest levels, and the partnership can only serve both of us towards a common goal: to win in 2006”.

Roberto Zanni, President of JTI Europe, is of the same opinion… “A new chapter in Camel's sporting history has just begun. After three years of our presence in MotoGP at the highest level, we are now aiming for the title with Yamaha. This will bring new motivation for success, because we want to win for a long time."

Cheers: in the next Sepang tests the first "provisional" livery (carbon black M1 with the Camel logos imprinted on the fairings), later in Milan the official presentation. Camel Yamaha Factory Racing: as we said on Saturday, now we're here...

Alessio Piana

In the image: our vision of the Camel-Yamaha livery (photomontage Gothos)