The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team have taken the guidelines for COVID-19 prevention measurements to heart and take this opportunity to give insight into their new racing protocol. Yamaha would like to give a special thanks to its management, staff, engineers, and all its sponsors as well as Dorna, IRTA, FIM, the circuits and the governments of the countries that are to host MotoGP rounds this year, for their dedication to putting Grand Prix racing back on the 2020 calendar.

Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team take this opportunity to say “Thank you!” to all relevant parties that have made it possible to start the 2020 MotoGP World Championship in the second half of the year.

Yamaha would like to thank its management, staff, engineers, and all its sponsors, as well as Dorna, IRTA,FIM, the circuits and the governments of the countries that are to host MotoGP races this year for their dedication. It’s through their determination to look for opportunities during these unprecedented times that fans will all be allowed to enjoy MotoGP action again soon, with an IRTA test scheduled for July 15th and the first round taking place from July 17th-19th.

Moreover, Yamaha wants to give a special thanks to the health workers around the world who have put their lives on the line to protect and tend to others during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yamaha would like to stress its awareness that, though the lockdown is over in most countries, the Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing. Yamaha Motor Racing has been dedicating a lot of time and energy in revising its racing protocol to ensure the safety of all parties involved, as safety always comes first in Grand Prix racing.

Yamaha Motor Racing Srl General Manager Operations, Marco Riva, explains:

“The steps we’ve made in the Operations area can be broadly divided into two phases: first the restarting of activities at the YMR headquarters, with strict rules to significantly reduce the risk of contamination, followed by changing the team’s travelling and racing protocol, to make attending the 2020 MotoGP racing calendar events as safe as possible for all involved.

“Phase 1 started immediately after the cancellation of the race in Qatar, which was soon followed by the travel restrictions and a full lockdown. Following the Qatar GP cancellation, YMR urgently recalled all the materials in order to have full and direct control over the situation, ready for any eventuality.

"During the lockdown period that followed, YMR staff worked from home but remained busy developing various contingency plans in order to be ready for any possible scenario.

"During the last weeks of lockdown, YMR carried out a risk assessment analysis in compliance with the Covid-19 prevention measures the Italian DPCM (Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri; Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers) issued on 24th April 2020, to prepare the YMR headquarters for the formal restart on May 4th, after two months of forced closure.

"Thanks to this careful preparation, everything was ready and implemented to allow a limited number of people to return to our headquarters on May 4th, so we could start with the preparation of materials and equipment in order to be ready within a matter of weeks for a possible restart of the 2020 MotoGP championship.

"The readiness and professionalism of all YMR staff members over the last few months has made it possible to work in safety, equipped with the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Effective training, combined with a limited but effective weekly attendance plan, further helped the YMR staff to work during Phase 1 with zero Covid-19 infections.

“For Phase 2, YMR and the key people of the team worked on making a risk assessment of the various operations on the circuit, after exchanging opinions with Dorna and IRTA.

"YMR has committed important resources to the development of a communication system that allows the various team members to be in contact while maintaining safety distances of 2 meters, or #OneM1Apart as we say in the team (a YZR-M1 is 2.060m long).

"The selection and overview of suitable PPE for every occasion at the track was made whilst taking into account both the safety and the comfort of the personnel, who will have to operate under very special circumstances. The various work environments have been reorganised with clear indications of the maximum capacity of people and their positioning in compliance with the safety distances. When it is not possible to adhere to the safety distances guidelines due to constricted space, YMR has defined and will provide the staff with the appropriate PPE as required per Dorna's ‘Contingency Plan - Covid-19’.

"Furthermore, a new catering unit has been set up to serve lunchboxes to the people of the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team and the Petronas Yamaha SIC Team, including their Moto2 and Moto3 crew members, making a total of 200 meals served every day, both for lunch and for dinner.

“A special thanks goes to all the people of Yamaha Motor Racing and its technical partners, who allowed us to face a delicate phase with the positive and innovative spirit that distinguishes us.”


Lin Jarvis - TEAM PRINCIPAL

“Knowing that there will be MotoGP racing from mid-July onwards gives us all something to look forward to – not just those who are associated with the racing industry but also the fans.

"MotoGP, and motorsports in general, is fuelled by passion, and that’s what makes it so popular the world over. The riders, teams, and manufacturers are constantly pushing to make the impossible possible. Yamaha management, our team staff, all Yamaha engineers, our sponsors, partners, suppliers, Dorna, IRTA, FIM, various circuits, and the governments of the countries we will be visiting this year have all been highly cooperative to get the 2020 MotoGP championship back on the road.

"We want to thank all parties involved for their contribution in making this possible. We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to all health workers, who have bravely and selflessly fought the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to honour their work by putting on a good show in the next few months and we will give it our full effort to do so in a responsible manner, making health and safety for all involved a top priority.”

Massimo Meregalli  - EAM DIRECTOR

“It’s been a very unusual few months. When a big global issue like this comes up, you have no idea what to expect. Nobody had ever experienced a global pandemic like this before, nor are there guidelines available on how a motorsports team should respond to this kind of safety threat.

"That said, I think Yamaha Motor Racing, its staff, and its partners have handled this unique situation with respect, dignity, professionalism, and perseverance. After the risk assessments we became aware of how we needed to change our ways both inside our headquarters and at the track.

"Most crucially, we want to avoid any unnecessary risks and also implement all safety precautions in such a manner that the unavoidable risky situations, such as travelling to and from the circuit, become a minimised factor too. The safety of the staff and the riders is our number one priority, as well as that of our fellow MotoGP paddock community members.

"We believe the key lies in thorough preparation as well as collaboration and solidarity of the involved parties, to make 2020 MotoGP racing safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

William Favero  - MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

"I would like to thank all parties involved for their contribution, efforts, and enthusiasm to get the MotoGP show started again. As a team we feel we have the duty to entertain all our fans, who have been patiently waiting for us to get back to the track. But as we are all aware, we find ourselves in a ‘changed world’. We take health & safety very seriously at Yamaha and have amended our protocol according to professional advice and carefully conducted analysis.

"The new Covid-19 prevention measures will surely have an impact on the MotoGP paddock and its media output, making clear communications more vital than ever before: internally in the team, towards fellow members of the paddock community, and also towards the fans and the press. Considering that access to the circuits will only be granted to a limited number of MotoGP team staff and television broadcasters accredited by Dorna, and no other media will be permitted onsite, the sport’s coverage has changed.

"Yamaha Motor Racing's Communication Department members will rise to the new challenges facing us, adhering to the social distancing rules but trying to ‘reduce the gap’ to the outside world.

"We will do our utmost to provide the media, our sponsors, the Yamaha Network, and last but certainly not least the fans with real time updates and information, so that, even though they can’t be with us at the circuit, they will not miss a thing."