Yamaha and Adidas agree sponsorship deal?

Yamaha may be on the verge of a significant sponsorship deal with sporting giant Adidas for the start of the 2014 season.

The news comes from Italian website ‘PU24.it‘ – who is said to have close links with Valentino Rossi – and they have announced the factory Yamaha team could be close to signing a huge deal.

PU24, who broke the news, have good reason to be taken seriously, their close links with Rossi saw them be the first to break the news about his switch to Ducati, and his split from long time crew chief Jeremy Burgess at the back end of last year.

The deal is also said to be tied in with a deal to sponsor the VR46-Sky racing team, as Yamaha’s search for a title sponsor rumbles on. Rumours also suggested that Adidas wanted to have confirmation from Rossi that he would continue in the sport, post 2014 before committing to any deal.

Adidas and Puma have a long, high profile, historical dispute, dating right back to the formation of the two companies, set up by the Dassler brothers. With Puma already involved in MotoGP, sponsoring the Factory Ducati team, Adidas are understood to want to join the party, and cash in on the final years of Valentino Rossi, whilst trying to get a ‘one up’ on their rivals.

PU24 also cite the Italian market as one the motifs behind the deal. The website says that Adidas would receive better visibility for all of their ads on the Sky Italia channel, who have the rights to broadcast MotoGP in Italy from 2014. Sky Italia, are also title sponsor of Valentino Rossi’s new VR46-Sky Moto3 team, you can see why links have been made…

The deal was rumoured to be two years long, although it hasn’t been confirmed, nor has how much Adidas were going to pay, Adidas are said to want it keep it top secret, but it could yet prove to be a significant deal for Yamaha and the sport.