Valentino Rossi with YZR-M1 | Photo credits: Otorace
The 2018 MotoGP season was anything but good for the factory Yamaha team, and while their riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi asked for help in improving the YZR-M1 prototype, Yamaha Racing couldn’t give them the performance upgrades they so desperately needed to fight against the likes of Repsol Honda Marc Marquez and Ducati Factory duo Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.
Those poor result have now made their highest profile victim: Kouji Tsuya.
According to Paddock-GP.com website, the Iwata manufacturer has already fired Tsuya, who since two years ago has been the one person responsible for the development of their MotoGP prototype YZR-M1. Kouji Tsuya has taken the role of Project Leader when in the beginning of 2017 Masahiko Nakajima moved up to the role of president of Yamaha Motor Racing.
During his two years as Project Leader for Yamaha’s MotoGP effort, Kouji Tsuya was never able to solve the problems Viñales and Rossi felt with the YZR-M1, and he became famous – for the worst reasons – when during the Austrian GP in 2018 he publicly apologized to both riders for Yamaha Racing not being able to give them a competitive bike
“We have to say sorry to our riders for the lack of performance in acceleration. We are working harder than ever to find a solution”, said Tsuya at the time.
But it took Yamaha Racing a long time after that press conference in Austria to see one of their riders on the top spot of a MotoGP podium. Maverick Viñales took the win at the Australian GP in Phillip Island, ending a 25 race streak where Yamaha couldn’t get a single win.
Yamaha Racing hasn’t confirmed Kouji Tsuya was fired, but Paddock-GP.com goes on saying that the Japanese manufacturer has already picked Takahiro Sumi as the new MotoGP Project Leader. Sumi was, until now, the responsible for YZR-M1 chassis development.
We will need to wait until February 4 to see if in fact Yamaha Racing decided to do all these changes for 2019, since the new Monster Yamaha MotoGP factory team will be presented on a special event in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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