Since Yamaha announced in the middle of last season that they were developing a V4 engine for its MotoGP project the prototype motor has been the subject of more speculation than almost anything else in the sport.
The Japanese brand, which has run with inline-four-cylinder engines since the four-stroke era of the premier class began in 2002, would complete a motion towards uniformity in MotoGP engine design, since Yamaha is the only manufacturer remaining to not race with a ‘big bang’, or unevenly firing, V4 engine.
However, it’s been around five months since Yamaha made the V4 announcement, and there is still no official timeline of when it will be seen – or rather heard – on track.
“They didn’t give us any date,” said factory Yamaha rider Alex Rins following the opening day of this week’s official Sepang MotoGP test on Wednesday.
“For sure, as riders, we ask, but they prefer to keep it apart, to not lose time for the rider to think about when we will test it.
“For sure, if they test, then it’s good.
“I mean, I think for what they say to us, that they are going to bring it when it’s going to be better than the [current] bike.
“To have a V4 engine is not mandatory. In the end, Honda has a V4 engine, and we are more or less with problems.”
Rins’ Wednesday comments were backed up by Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team manager Massimo Meregalli on Thursday when he spoke to MotoGP.com’s After the Flag show during the final minutes of the second day’s running.
“When it will be ready,” he said when asked when Yamaha’s V4 engine might make an appearance on track.
“For sure, it’s impossible to say anything.
“For sure, we would like to go on track [with the V4] as soon as possible but we will do that when we will be ready.”
