The boss of the Yamaha MotoGP team says Lewis Hamilton adapted well to riding two-wheeled machinery, as part of a promotional event that was held earlier this week.
Reigning World Champion Hamilton sampled Yamaha’s YZR-M1 MotoGP bike at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit while Valentino Rossi got behind the wheel of Mercedes’ 2017-spec W08
No lap times were revealed from the promotional event in which Hamilton – who previously tried Yamaha’s Superbike machinery at Jerez – rode solo before being joined on track by Rossi.
Watch: F1 v MotoGP – Hamilton and Rossi swap machinery
“It was an exceptional day,” said Yamaha’s Managing Director Lin Jarvis.
“To have Lewis together with us and Valentino, two icons of sport at the same time and place, was really amazing. I'm really happy that I could be there to witness it and to enjoy it.
"I was very impressed by Lewis' performance because how many four-wheel champions could come here and get on an M1, go out there, and do themselves proud?
“It's very difficult to ride a motorcycle fast on track and even more challenging and demanding to ride a factory MotoGP bike.
"What stood out to me the most was the moment when he and Valentino were out, really close together, side by side on their M1s. Lewis has said that he's been a fan of MotoGP and Valentino for years.
“It was his wish to ride on track together with Valentino and to have the experience one day to ride an M1, and he got both wishes at the same time!
“It was fantastic to see that even a six-time Formula 1 World Champion who has already achieved so many things, can still realise a dream at a special occasion like this.”
Rossi added: “Valencia is a hard track, and it was windy, so at one point I thought it could be difficult for Lewis, but he was brilliant on the bike and his position on the M1 was great.
“I really enjoyed sharing this experience with him, and I think he had loads of fun too, demonstrated by how reluctant he was to stop riding.”
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