Yamaha’s planned V4 engine test at Jerez was canceled: Alex Rins reveals that the new engine was not yet ready – when it could make its debut.
The Yamaha test team had planned to take the new V4 engine out on track during a private test at Jerez last week. A plan that, according to regular rider Alex Rins, has now been postponed for the time being.
“The idea was to try the engine at the KTM test in Jerez, but in the end it wasn’t ready and couldn’t be tested,” Rins explains in Motorsport.com Spain’s ‘Por Orejas’ podcast.
KTM had two private test days in Jerez on Wednesday and Thursday last week. Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro were present, along with Maverick Vinales, who visited the test but did not take to the track himself. Vinales will be part of KTM’s Tech3 team in 2025.
Rins confirmed that Yamaha wanted to use the opportunity to test the M1 with the new V4 engine. However, the engine was not ready in time. It is believed that Andrea Dovizioso was scheduled for this test.
V4 premiere at the Sepang shakedown?
No further test rides are planned by Yamaha for the rest of the year. Therefore, the new V4 engine is expected to make its debut at the official shakedown in Sepang from January 31 to February 2, 2025, for test riders and rookies.
Thanks to Yamaha’s test licenses, factory riders Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo, as well as the riders of the new satellite team Pramac-Yamaha, Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller, are also allowed to take part in the shakedown. The official MotoGP test will then follow from February 5th to 7th, also at Sepang.
Since mid-2024, Yamaha engineers have been working on a prototype of a new V4 engine – an alternative to the inline four-cylinder that Yamaha has used throughout the MotoGP era. It brought great success, especially from 2004 with Valentino Rossi and in the 2010s with Jorge Lorenzo.
Marmorini inspired new engine concept
Although Fabio Quartararo won another title for Yamaha in 2021, the bike’s performance has dropped significantly over the last three seasons. Yamaha was no longer able to challenge for victories or keep up with the dominant Ducati.
To close this gap, Yamaha has recruited numerous engineers and technicians, including specialists directly from Ducati. In addition, former Formula 1 engine consultant Luca Marmorini was hired, who previously worked with Aprilia and pushed for the switch to the V4 engine concept.
During the San Marino Grand Prix at the beginning of September, Lin Jarvis confirmed that Yamaha was working on a completely new V4 engine, but at the same time emphasized that the engine would not be ready until mid-2025 at the earliest.
However, the development work has been accelerated and rumors emerged that Yamaha would conduct initial test drives as early as December at a private test in Sepang. Now, however, it seems that the engine will not be premiered until February.