Yamaha to debut seamless shift gearbox 'soon'

Yamaha racing boss Lin Jarvis has revealed that the factory could have a seamless shift gearbox ready for testing early next month.

Factory rivals Ducati and especially Honda already use their own versions of the special gearboxes, which slash the time taken to change gear.

This benefits not only acceleration, but also upsets the motorcycle less when gear changes are needed during corning.

"We will be testing it soon with our grand prix riders and then, based on when we are ready - when we can see that it really has an advantage and that the reliability is there - then we will introduce it... I think you will see it this year," the official MotoGP website quotes Jarvis as saying during a press conference at the Yamaha US HQ.

The gearbox debut could take place during a private test at Brno on August 6-7, although Yamaha will not take any risks.

"Our engineers' main concern is rider safety," Jarvis continued. "With a gearbox, you cannot afford to make one mistake. You make one mistake and it costs the rider points but, what is more important is that it could cost you the rider, so Yamaha will not introduce it until they are 100% sure that it is working really well and faultlessly."

Yamaha's injured reigning double champion Lorenzo is currently eleven points from Honda's rookie title leader Marc Marquez, whose team-mate Dani Pedrosa is nine points ahead. Lorenzo's team-mate Valentino Rossi is also a 2013 race winner and presently fifth in the standings.

The present season reaches its halfway point at Laguna Seca on Sunday.

Be there! CLICK HERE to see ticket prices for the remaining rounds of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship from the Official MotoGP Ticket Store.