Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yamaha Motor Corporation racing team members have stated that five-time World Champion Valentino Rossi will be given a competitive motorcycle in 2004 but they do not expect to win the MotoGP Championship until 2005.

Yamaha’s Masao Furusawa told the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) that many changes have been made within the Yamaha racing department and the organization is “working as hard as possible to make sure the package is fully capable to get the results we desire.”

In an earlier interview with the BBC, Yamaha MotoGP team director Davide Brivio said the 2004 season would be a time for Rossi to establish a relationship with his new bike and team but the MotoGP World Championship is Yamaha’s target for 2005.

Yamaha hasn’t won the World Championship in the premier class of motorcycle road racing since Wayne Rainey took the 1992 500cc World Championship on a YZR500.