US MOTOGP (INDIANAPOLIS, IN.) - MotoGP TITLE IS ONLY AIM FOR FIAT YAMAHA, RIDERS ROSSI, LORENZO

The Fiat Yamaha Team should be a fascinating study in contrasts during the 2008 MotoGP World Championship season, which includes the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14.

There’s a mix of experience in the rider lineup, with rookie Jorge Lorenzo joining five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. There’s also an interesting and unusual split in tire choice within the team, with Rossi running on Bridgestone while Lorenzo will use Michelin.

Fiat Yamaha launched its new 2008 YZR-M1 bike Jan. 18 in Turin, Italy in a gala affair at the historic Lingotto building, which was Fiat’s car factory from 1923-82 and features a unique rooftop test track.

“My aim is to win, just like every other year,” Rossi said. “I haven’t won (a title) now for two years, the longest period of my Grand Prix career, and I am aiming to win this year.”

The fact that Rossi thinks a two-year period without a championship is a drought indicates just how large “The Doctor” looms over Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Rossi, who turns 29 on Feb. 15, has dominated the sport since his debut in 1996. He won the 125cc world title in 1997 and the 250cc crown in 1999 before climbing to MotoGP in 2000 and winning five consecutive world championships from 2001-05. He has 62 career victories in eight seasons at the MotoGP level.

But Rossi, from Italy, finished a disappointing and distant third behind World Champion Casey Stoner in 2007 after losing a tight battle with American Nicky Hayden in 2006. So he pushed for the Fiat Yamaha Team to switch his bike’s tires from Michelin to Bridgestone, which carried Stoner to a dominant 10 victories and the title last year.

“It is perhaps a bit of a risky decision to move to Bridgestone,” Rossi said. “But I am happy that we are doing it, as I think it will be positive for our performance.”

The team insists it will keep tire data separate between Rossi and his rookie teammate, Lorenzo.

Lorenzo, 20, climbs to MotoGP at a young age with impressive results in the lower categories, like Rossi. Lorenzo, from Spain, won the 250cc world title in 2006 and 2007 for Aprilia, with 17 combined victories over those two seasons.

“I’m very happy to be here, with these people, this bike and in this team,” Lorenzo said. “I have a long way to go in my development, but I have improved each time I’ve ridden the bike, and the last test especially was very good.

“I struggled a bit at first. When we tested in Malaysia, it was hard because I had to get used to the difference with MotoGP and a 250cc bike, where you brake early to get good corner speed. It’s the opposite in MotoGP, as you have to brake as late as possible and open the throttle early.”

The Fiat Yamaha Team will test next week at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, along with many other top MotoGP riders and teams.

Rossi said he will focus in Sepang on learning more about his new Bridgestone tires and working with the team’s engineers to find more top speed to cope with Ducati’s apparent advantage last season in that area. Lorenzo will continue to adjust to the increased power of the 800cc MotoGP machinery compared to 250cc, but he already likes the greater grunt of the premier-class bikes.

“Right from the start, I found I was enjoying myself a lot with the M1, above all when I was able to do a wheelie on the straight for almost 1 kilometer (.62 of a mile)!” Lorenzo said.

The 18-round MotoGP World Championship starts Sunday, March 9 with the Grand Prix of Qatar. It will be the first night race in MotoGP history.

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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008. Tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All tickets for this event are three-day tickets, with both reserved and general admission seating available.