New 2007 factory Yamaha rider Marc de Reuver completed his first laps with his works YZ450FM in Italy last week - then guided a production YZ450 to victory in the
Red Bull Knockout beach race in Holland.
The 23-year-old, who finished fifth in the 2006 MX2 World Championship with KTM and makes his debut in the MX1 class for the 2007 grand prix campaign, completed his first Yamaha test in Italy, where he spent three positive days with his new team.
"We started testing with the stock bike, moved onto the kitted version and then the factory YZ450FM. More or less right from the beginning I was happy with what I was riding," commented Marc. "The Yamaha is very different from what I had before and it was up to the quality of what I was expecting. Everyone knows the level and reputation of the Rinaldi team so it was great to start working with them.
"I found the group very professional," he continued. "There were six people working for me and I have never had something like that before. There was an engine specialist, someone for the suspension and basically whatever I needed. Every day we would have a meeting altogether and for me the whole environment was very productive and efficient.
"We rode on a hard pack course then went to a slightly sandier circuit before going to Rinaldi's track, which is long and narrow and very technical. The strongest part of the bike for me was the handling. The Yamaha feels very stable and I felt like I always knew what the bike was doing."
As the Netherlands' top rider, de Reuver will retain a high profile alongside fellow new Yamaha recruit Josh Coppins next season and will push to be the first Dutchman to claim victory in the MX1 class since the inception of the category in 2004. "I feel very confident and for sure I know that I can be inside the top five, I have the right tools to do the job," he commented.
