Yamaha has shipped an early model of the 2011 Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP prototype to the Czech Republic ahead of this weekend’s Brno round of the FIM World Championship. The factory has sent only one machine which will mostly be ridden by Fiat Yamaha man Jorge Lorenzo. The word is that his teammate Valentino Rossi will not be allowed to touch the machine due to his upcoming announcement of signing to ride for Ducati (no confirmation yet), so they will give Spies the chance to turn some hot laps on the M1 during Monday’s test session. Of course, the whole thing will be dependent on the weather and the forecast is not good at this point.Yamaha has said that Tech 3 has no specific testing to be done during the Monday session, so they decided to give Spies a chance to see what will be coming for him next season. Since it is assumed that Rossi will be moving on, further rumors abound that Spies will be promoted to the Fiat Yamaha team in 2011 – and this is likely preparation for that move which will pair him with current points leader Lorenzo. Big things are in store for the American…







