MotoGP: Lin Jarvis “It will still be a challenge Honda – Yamaha and Marquez Vs Lorenzo”

Lin Jarvis speaking to MotoGP.com took stock of the situation of the season just ended, a season which saw Yamaha in the running for the riders' title until the last race. Jarvis still sees it as a positive season, in fact the house of the Tre Diapason has won nine grand prix, eight with Jorge and one with Valentino Rossi, with five successes in the last seven races. The word is up to him.

“We achieved good results at the end of the season. We didn't win the championship but we only lost by four points. Honestly it was a great 2013 and we are quite happy with the result. Of course we preferred to be first, but second place is an honor. Over the course of the year we won nine grand prix: eight with Jorge and one with Valentino in Assen, who returned to success. We are particularly satisfied with the end of the season, we won five of the last seven races.

We see it as a successful season. It wasn't easy, we started with a one-two in the first race but with a setback after Jorge's accident in Assen and then again at Sachsenring. From here Lorenzo fought hard, giving his all to get back into the rankings.

In terms of bikes we won the same number of grand prix as Honda, I'd say it was a very open game. Marquez had a truly sensational rookie season. This year we were unable to win the title, but we will try again next year.

Jarvis then spoke about Jeremy Burgess' departure

“Obviously, one of the most important changes for Valentino was a new crew chief. Unfortunately we said goodbye to Jeremy (Burgess) after the last race, replacing him on Monday with Silvano Galbusera. It will be an extra motivation for Valentino next season.”

What did you feel in Valencia in the first tests with a view to 2014?

“I can't go into specifics [he smiles], we're trying many things: chassis, electronics, engine. After these tests we will work on the data to return to testing the bike in Sepang at the beginning of February 2014. Then there will be the three official tests of the first race in Qatar, even earlier on next year's calendar.”

What are Yamaha's objectives for 2014 and who will be the protagonists?

“A new battle is about to start again. In my opinion, it will still be a Honda – Yamaha and Marquez vs Lorenzo challenge. Both we and they have fully motivated drivers and teams. We have improved every aspect of the bike, we know our competitors are doing the same. As soon as the championship finished we gave ourselves a short rest, honestly [smiles] we needed it because the end was quite challenging. I think that the testing ban in force from December 1st to January 31st is a good thing, it forces everyone to take a holiday period and then plan their strategies. We will try to optimize the time to improve further and avoid mistakes. We will be there, I am confident that we will be there in 2014.”

Photos: Alex Farinelli