Editing Yamaha YZR-M1

The '''Yamaha YZR-M1''' was developed in 2001 by [[Yamaha|Yamaha Motor Company Ltd.]]

In 2001, regulations for the new [[MotoGP]] World Championship [[motorcycle]] road racing 500 [[Cubic centimetre|cc]] class were changed drastically for the 2002 season. 2-stroke engines were as previously limited to 500 cc and 4 [[cylinder]]s, but 4 stroke engines were allowed to up to 990 cc and an unlimited number of cylinders

However, it was found to have a combination of problems which made it very difficult to ride. Firstly the chasis was described by Biaggi as "evil" that chattered often, and a harsh 2stroke like power delivery. In two seasons it achieved 2wins - ironically, both in the wet where it was said to be even more diabolical. In the 2003 season Biaggi became almost nonchalant and open rather than discrete on his comments of how bad and useless the bike was, and if only he could be on a Honda, how everything could be OK

His contract with Honda was up at the end of the year and there were rumors that Rossi had become somewhat disillusioned with his ride at Honda. His tenure at Honda had effectively run its course; he had provided Honda with a 500cc World Championship as well as consecutive MotoGP World Championships, he had helped perfect the [[Honda RC211V]] into a formidable, almost unstoppable racing machine. Rossi complained about Honda's reluctance to pay to secure his services in 2004, seemed to have overstayed his welcome. To Honda's credit, they offered Rossi a significant and lucrative contract but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep Rossi where he felt he no longer belonged. Partnered with increased skepticism that the reason for his success was the dominance of the RC211V rather than Rossi's talent, it was inevitable that Honda and Rossi would part.

Mid-season rumors pointed towards a possible move to [[Ducati]], which sent the Italian press into a frenzy; the concept of the great Italian on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ducati did indeed try to seduce Rossi into riding their MotoGP bike, the [[Desmosedici]], but for numerous reasons Rossi passed the offer up. Critics say that compared to the other manufacturers, Ducati had a significant way to go before being competitive even with Rossi at the helm. This proved to be the truth with Ducati's lacklustre performance in the 2004 season, which had actually been worse than their inaugural year in MotoGP in 2003.

With the traditional first race of the season at [[Suzuka Circuit|Suzuka]] off the list due to safety considerations, the 2004 season started at Welkom in South Africa. Rossi shone through to claim first, and silenced his critics who thought the Yamaha would still play second fiddle to the Honda. Rossi would go on to claim 8 more GP wins and the Championship, and ended up with 304 points to [[Sete Gibernau]]'s 257, with [[Max Biaggi]] on a Honda 3rd with 217 points.