Valentino Rossi checks out Yamaha V4 in Misano pit visit

Valentino Rossi, who won four MotoGP titles on the Inline Yamaha M1, came to check out the future V4 version at Misano.

Rossi, whose VR46 squad is Ducati’s factory-supported satellite team, made a visit to Yamaha garage during his local San Marino Grand Prix weekend, where he was given a personal tour of the bike by wild-card Augusto Fernandez.

Images published by Yamaha on Instagram show The Doctor trying the new bike for size.

Yamaha wrote: “Living Yamaha legend meets the future 🤩 The Doctor made a house call to check in on the freshly unveiled Yamaha V4-Powered Prototype 🩺🏍️”

Given Rossi’s long success as a Yamaha rider, the VR46 team were hotly linked with becoming Yamaha's satellite M1 team but chose to stick with the more competitive Ducati option.

Pramac were persuaded to move in the other direction, joining Yamaha after winning last year’s MotoGP title with Jorge Martin and Ducati.

Rossi stunned the MotoGP world when, after three world championships in a row for Honda, he switched to the struggling Yamaha project and took the M1’s first title at his first attempt in 2004.

Rossi and the M1 won further crowns in 2005, 2008 and 2009 before the Italian's ill-fated move to Ducati.

Returning to Yamaha in 2013, Rossi won a further nine races and was title runner-up in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He retired at the end of 2021.

After Rossi, the M1 won further MotoGP titles with Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012, 2015) and then Fabio Quartararo (2021).