SYDNEY: Yamaha has once again in the news for its new flagships Yamaha YZF-R1, YZF-R1M, which under testing process now a days. The original Yamaha YZF-R1 design focus was primarily for the street, however that’s all changed for 2015 with Yamaha’s Engineer’s instructed to design a bike mainly for the track.
A team of 50 Design Engineers worked closely with Yamaha’s MotoGP team and test riders from divisions in Japan, Europe and the US, including Valentino Rossi and US rider Josh Hayes, to come up with perhaps the most technologically advanced electronics on a motorcycle ever made available to the riding public.
It looks like we can never get enough of the all-new Yamaha YZF-R1 machine, and Yamaha is ready as ever to supply them in good amounts. Today it’s time for another dose of fine superbike art, as Yamaha Racing revealed the liveries of the bikes which will be part of the two Endurance World Championship teams Iwata fields this year.
The top accolades go to the French GMT94 Michelin Racing team, who clawed the 2014 title and put an end to a lengthy Suzuki domination, broken by another Yamaha title won in 2009. With the fully-loaded new R1 and all the technology the house of Iwata put in the new superbike, it will be very interesting to see how much the team’s performance will differ from the previous season. The GMT94 Michelin Racing team comprises three riders: David Checa, Kenny Foray, and Mathieu Gines.
One more Yamaha team will be part of the EWC in 2015. The Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) was founded in 2001 by owner and team manager Randy Kainz and has fared quite well in the world championship, with multiple thirds and runner-up finishes, during a very successful 5-year streak with no finishes outside top-three.
YART has claimed victories in 2009 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2009 at 8 Hours of Oschersleben, 2009 8 Hours of Albacete and 2009 8 Hours of Doha. The three riders are Ivan Silva, Superbike and former GP rider Max Neukirchner and Broc Parkes whom we’ve recently seen riding in the 2014 MotoGP season for PBM. Feast your eyes upon the Endurance World Championship version of the Yamaha YZF-R1 and prepare for even more R1 action this year.
