Rossi’s 60th anniversary M1 (left) alongside the 50th anniversary one he rode in 2005.

ON Sunday, fresh from winning the Assen MotoGP the day before, Valentino Rossi rode this yellow-and-speed-blocks Yamaha M1 up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Here’s a clearer look at it.

What’s perhaps most surprising is the shot shown on the right, of the machine alongside the 50th anniversary M1, also ridden by Rossi, way back in 2005. Given the astounding advances in road bikes over that period it’s incredible to see that this year’s championship-leading MotoGP machine is (visually, at least) almost indistinguishable from the one that took the title a decade ago once both machines are given matching paint schemes. It looks as though some components might even be interchangeable, and surely that’s incredible at such a high level of racing.

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