Jorge Lorenzo has signed a contract extension with Yamaha that will see the 2010 MotoGP Champion riding the M1 through the 2014 season.

Lorenzo currently leads the 2012 MotoGP Championship points chase with 115 points and is looking for his second premiere class title. Through five races this season, Lorenzo has three wins and a pair of second-place finishes, matching his pace from his championship-winning 2010 season.

“I am extremely happy to have signed with Yamaha for two more years. They’ve made great efforts to retain me in the factory team so I want to thank all those involved at Yamaha for this,” says Lorenzo. “I’ve been treated like part of the Yamaha family since 2008 and I love working with them. It has always been my first option to stay here and so I’m happy that this important negotiation has finished with such a positive outcome. Now I can focus on the Championship and I’m looking forward to paying back Yamaha’s trust in me starting at Silverstone this weekend. I look forward to winning many more Championships together; my dream to finish my career with Yamaha is now closer to becoming a reality!” Continue Reading »

Yamaha Factory Racing today posted on its YouTube page a video interview with Ben “Elbowz” Spies, in which Spies discusses the soon to start 2012 season of MotoGP.

In his usual calm, cool and under control manner Spies speaks frankly on how he prefers the 1000cc GP machine, saying it suits his style (elbows out!) better than the previous seasons’ 800cc bikes because the extra torque and horsepower of the liter-class bikes are, essentially, better matched to his physical stature. Spies also answers honestly the question of who he thinks he needs to keep an eye in 2012, including his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.

Spies also dishes that he’s hopeful for success at the American rounds, as well as Assen where he took his first GP win. Hear all Ben has to say after the jump.

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Yamaha has pulled the covers off the 2012 edition of its YZR-M1, the machines which racers Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will ride to compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship.

While last year’s M1 was predominantly blue, the new 1000cc version of the M1 sports more white paint with wide bands of Yamaha blue on the front fairing and along the side, flowing along the line of the seat. Like most MotoGP squads, Yamaha doesn’t want to be too specific about its MotoGP bike’s potential, estimating the power output from the crossplane crankshaft engine at over 240 hp.

The man to beat is defending champion Casey Stoner who dominated the pre-season tests on the Repsol Honda RC213V. Lorenzo and Spies also performed well during testing but they’re still slightly behind the reigning World Champion.

Check out a video released by Yamaha as well as a massive gallery of Lorenzo, Spies, and the 2012 Yamaha M1 after the jump.

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2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo has earned his A2 Spanish motorcycle license. Last month, we learned Lorenzo was practicing for the test on a Yamaha YB250R motorcycle, and now the Yamaha factory racer has completed the practical portion of the test. Here he is pictured with his riding teacher Xavi Vallejo (and wouldn’t it be cool to tell people you taught a MotoGP World Champion how to ride a motorcycle?).

With his new A2 license, Lorenzo is now allowed to ride a motorcycle on the streets of Spain, provided the bike is restricted to no more than 47 hp. A far cry from his Yamaha M1, to say the least.

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Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies each crashed but both riders deemed the third and final day of MotoGP testing in Malaysia a success.

Lorenzo and Spies both crashed during the morning of the test but were unhurt. Despite the minor setback, both riders managed to get a lot done at the Sepang International Circuit.

For Spies, it was his first opportunity to ride the 2012 Yamaha M1 in wet conditions. The texan used the opportunity to test suspension and electronic settings. His fastest lap of the day was clocked at 2:01.432, eighth best of all riders.

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Ben Spies topped the time sheets ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo as Yamaha continued its MotoGP pre-season testing in Malaysia.

While their rivals at Honda were idled by an engine problem, the two factory Yamaha riders found improvement on their Day One times and gathered data about riding in both wet and dry conditions.

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Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies tested new engine specifications for their YZR-M1 prototypes on the first day of testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Wet conditions limited track time in the afternoon but Yamaha was able to get some data on the engine in the morning. Yamaha also worked on finding a solution to front end chatter problems.

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You would figure a former MotoGP World Champion and one of the top motorcycle racers on the planet would have his pick for a streetbike.

Not if he doesn’t have a motorcycle license and is practicing for his riding test however. In 2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo‘s case, his ride is the Yamaha YBR250.

Lorenzo, Yamaha‘s star factory rider only recently passed the theory portion of his motorcycle license exam and is now preparing for the practical part. Returning from Spain from last week’s MotoGP test in Malaysia, Lorenzo picked up the keys to a YBR250 to practice on the roads of Mount Montjuic in Barcelona.

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Pre-season test lap times aren’t a precise barometer for how the 2012 MotoGP Championship season will go, but Yamaha has to feel good about its results after this week’s testing at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Last February at Sepang, Honda riders were the talk of the preseason session, taking three of the top four lap times on each day of the test. That pattern repeated itself in the final championship standings with Casey Stoner taking the championship, Dani Pedrosa finishing third and Andrea Dovizioso fourth. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo finished second despite missing the last few rounds due to injury while teammate Ben Spies rounded out the top five.

This year, Stoner continues to look to be the man to beat but Lorenzo and Spies, along with Tech 3 Yamaha satellite rider Cal Crutchlow have also put up good lap times.

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Yamaha factory rider Ben Spies led for most to the second day of MotoGP testing at Sepang before settling for the second best lap the time sheets behind defending World Champion Casey Stoner.

Spies rode 37 laps and recorded a time of 2:01.052, which stood as the fastest lap in the morning session. That time was surpassed later in the afternoon by Repsol Honda rider Stoner by 0.157 seconds. Spies was able to trim more than a second off of his day one time while logging 37 laps on day two.

Spies’ teammate Jorge Lorenzo was also fast in the afternoon, with a time of 2:01.068 good enough for third overall.

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