I'm sure the R1 that they give him will be more of a replica of what he raced. The motor will probably be a stock or superstock one rather than the full blown superbike.
The R1 has done very well in racing circles this year. The top spec factory supported superbike engines were lacking absolutely nothing on the other liters and 1200cc Ducatis. The top speed they were logging in the Portimao were a leap forward from the other tracks as well. I fully expect that they were going to be successful with this engine, after all it's not like they're new at this cross plane firing order idea. They've proven since 2004 just how effective it is on the M1.
Although my preference is for a screamer 4-cyl, I fully comprehend and appreciate the benefits of the motor design. However, I am hoping that the next update to the R1 will fix: 1) Styling 2)Lose some weight 3) Make more power.
With 180 rwhp BMW S1000RR's, Yamaha has the most ground to make up, nearly 30-40 rwhp shy. That's almost the difference between a liter and a 600 from a few years ago.