Yamaha has now joined Suzuki and Kawasaki with a pneumatic valve-equipped MotoGP engine. Valentino Rossi tested a new engine at the Brno test this week and knowledgeable sources say that the new Yamaha M1 mill has pneumatic valves.

The new-style engine is delivers another 1000 rpm on top end and offers better acceleration than the "conventional" Yamaha MotoGP engine.

While a step in the right direction, clearly pneumatic valves weren't an immediate fix for what ails the Yamaha MotoGP team. Rossi and the air-valve motor actually lapped slower than Colin Edwards and the conventional Yamaha MotoGP engine at the Brno test.