Valentino Rossi has described Yamaha’s decision to drop Jonas Folger as its MotoGP test rider from next y🍸ear as “a shame” an⛦d warns it needs riders capable of matching race lap times to be effective.

Following last week’s🃏 announcement that Folger h♐as been axed as its European-based MotoGP test rider, reports have suggested Yamaha will reveꦅrt to its two Japanese test riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane for 2020 with its technical team headed up by Rossi’s outing crew chief Silvano Galbusera.

Rossi, who has previously called for Yamaha to strengthen its test operations, gave a wary reaction to the changes during the pre-event Valencia MotoGP press conference and would prefer the Iwata factory to have test riders capable of consistently matching the paꦅce of its race riders.

“I think in the modern MotoGP the test team is important,” Rossi 🐽said. “It is not just for the shakedown of the motorcycle like in the ꦬpast but also to try to understand and try for the performance. Also to understand if the new stuff is better.

“Yamaha worked a lot on the test team and also on its organisat🍃ion to t🌠ry to make something better.

“For me it is a shame a little bit because sometimes you need a rider that can stay close to the la🃏p time of the race to understand. Maybe, we will see, maybe it will not change a lot.”

꧙Nakasuga has contested at least one MotoGP race with Yamaha for every season since 2011, with the exception of this year, and has finished every race inside the points including the highlight of second place back at the 2012 Valencia Grand Prix in wet conditio𝓰ns.

Nozane has made one Yamaha M♋otoGP wildcard outing at the 2017 Japanese round when he qualified in last place before crashing out after three laps.

Maverick Vinales says questions over losing its a European-based test rider for 2020 are best directed at his team’s senior m🧜anagement but hopes both he and Rossi can provide Yamaha with adequate information during its winter testing programme in preparation for next season.

“This is not in my hands so if I have to say something it is that we will continue to concentrate and continue to improve on ourselves to give our best and to at least give 🌃the best feelings for Yamaha to try to improve,” Vinales said.

“But h✅onestly it is not i꧑n my hands so it is best you ask Yamaha. In that moment I am happy now but I don’t know.”

Yamaha had ꧒previously approached Johann Zarco over a testing role after he split from KTM but the French🎀 rider turned down the opportunity as he preferred to target a return to racing in 2020. Bradley Smith has also been linked to the Yamaha testing role and is currently test rider at Aprilia alongside his MotoE race commitments.

All of Yamaha’s MotoGP rivals have Eu✅r⛦opean-based test teams with riders that are either former race winners or world champions at international level.

2020 pre🔯parations begin next week at the two-day post-Valencia GP test held on 19-20 November.