Yamaha to unveil 2011 livery at Sepang

Yamaha has announced that it will unveil its official 2011 MotoGP livery to the waiting world ahead of the second pre-season group test at Sepang in Malaysia later this month.

Thus far this year, Yamaha factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies have tested on largely unbranded bikes, but the team will take the wraps off the 2011 YZR-M1's new livery on 21 February, the day before Sepang's second three-day test kicks off. The bikes are expected to look substantially different this season in the wake of the departure of erstwhile title sponsor FIAT.

Gresini ace Marco Simoncelli paced the opening test back at the beginning of the month, narrowly ahead of Repsol Honda star Dani Pedrosa, with the Spaniard's team-mate and former MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner third in a clean sweep of the leading three positions for the Japanese manufacturer. Defending title-winner Jorge Lorenzo wound up fourth, with Spies sixth.