Yamaha inks multi-year agreement with Valentino Rossi

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has recently signed a multi-year agreement with Valentino Rossi, making the nine-time World Champion an official Yamaha brand ambassador.

This is not the first dance for Yamaha and “The Doctor” as the two have worked together since 2004. With the Japanese motorcycle company, Rossi secured 142 podiums, celebrated 56 Grand Prix (GP) victories, and won four MotoGP World Championship Titles in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009.

Rossi retired from MotoGP after the 2021 season but immediately expressed his desire to keep riding Yamaha bikes for training and leisure and his interest in becoming a Brand Ambassador for Yamaha.

“For sure, this agreement between me and Yamaha gives a great emotion. We worked together for many years in the past, so it feels natural. After I retired from MotoGP, I kept training and riding motorcycles. I was always planning to keep racing in one form or another. During my MotoGP career, I rode Yamaha bikes as part of my contract. But even after retiring, I kept using Yamaha bikes because I enjoy them. I’m happy that the agreement is now signed, so Yamaha and I get to work together in this new set-up,” Rossi said.

It is not clear what roles will Rossi play as the company’s ambassador, although it may mean that his fans will see him more often in Yamaha events as well as on special track events where he might ride the company’s motorcycles.

“First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Valentino for continuing our partnership. Yamaha is very proud to have Valentino as a brand ambassador, perhaps even more so since the desire to become one came from him personally. To have a nine-time World Champion’s seal of approval is the best recommendation you can get as a motorcycle brand. It’s a testament to the product quality and the company culture at Yamaha. Yamaha continuously strives to bring Kando to its clientele. We are pleased that Valentino, the motorcycle racing GOAT (greatest of all time), feels so enthusiastic about riding Yamaha-powered two-wheel vehicles, and that he is happy to work in a close partnership with Yamaha again. Yamaha enters this agreement with the full intent to meet Valentino's needs when it comes to two-wheelers for training and leisure purposes. We look forward to working together with him to strengthen the Yamaha brand,” commented Yamaha General Manager Motorsport Strategy Division Tetsu Ono.

Photos from Yamaha

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