Yamaha confirm signing of Lorenzo

MADRID, Spain -- Jorge Lorenzo, the double world 250cc champion, has officially been named as Valentino Rossi's team mate with Yamaha next season.

Lorenzo, riding for Aprilia, took this year's title in the 250cc class but finished seventh in Sunday's Valencia race.

Yamaha have announced that the 20-year-old Spaniard will race with Michelin tires while five-time MotoGP world champion Rossi will use Bridgestone.

To ensure confidentiality for the two tire manufacturers, Rossi and Lorenzo will have separate pit boxes and managers.

Rossi slipped to third in place in the 2007 MotoGP championship after being forced to drop out of the Valencia race after deciding to ride despite suffering a broken hand when he crashed in qualifying.

It was an unusual experience for the 28-year-old Italian to finish outside the top two in any category. The last time was in his rookie season in the 125cc class in 1996, when he was ninth. E-mail to a friend