Yamaha has released a new video of the 2012 YZF-R1 featuring MotoGP racer Ben Spies taking the new bike with Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary limited edition livery to a track day.
Spies who won the 2009 World Superbike Championship on a Yamaha R1 so he is obviously very familiar with the sportbike which will now be available with a seven-level traction control system.
When Yamaha unveiled its 50th anniversary edition red and white livery for its M1 MotoGP machines in May, one question came immediately to mind: when can we get the special edition R1?
The red and white design was created to celebrate Yamaha‘s 50th year in Grand Prix racing. Yamaha factory racers Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies debuted the livery at the Assen round in June, which saw the American Spies nab his first a career MotoGP win.
According to the Britain’s MCN, Yamaha is set to reveal special editions of an updated-for-2012 Yamaha YZF-R1, a cosmetically updated YZF-R6, as well as an FZ8 and a YZF-R125 for the U.K. market. MCN is basing this news on new (but empty) folders found on Yamaha’s press site.
Josh Hayes has won his second consecutive AMA Superbike title, clinching the championship in a tightly contested Race One at the 2011 season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The lead changed hands several times before Hayes emerged with the win, his third of the season. The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha R1 rider was consistent all season, finishing with three wins and 12 podium finishes in 14 races, and finishing fourth in the two times he missed the podium.
Colin Edwards will join the Forward Racing team to compete in the 2012 MotoGP season as a Claiming Rule Team entry.
Edwards, known as a good development rider and an even better quote machine, is the first rider to officially sign on with a CRT. Forward Racing may be more familiar to some race fans by its former name, Hayate Racing, the outfit that ran the Kawasaki ZX-RR with Marco Melandri in 2009 after Kawasaki pulled out of MotoGP racing.
“I’ve always been a good test rider and I’m happy that this will be my next challenge,” Edwards tells MotoGP.com.
Forward Racing hasn’t finalized plans on what its machine will use, but Edwards says he hopes it will use a Yamaha R1 engine with a chassis developed by Edwards’ current employers, Tech 3 Racing. Negotiations are currently underway between Forward Racing and Tech 3′s Herve Poncheral.
The one-off GYTR-equipped Yamaha YZF-R1 ridden by “King” Kenny Roberts at this year’s U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca was auctioned for $87,000.
Roberts and late night television star Jay Leno were the special guest auctioneers for the R1 at Mecum’s Motorcycle Auction in Monterey, Calif. The final bid came from Milton Verret for $87,000. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Bailey’s Café, a non-profit arts program in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“I’m kinda surprised that someone would pay for a bike that I sat my butt on and worked the rear tire on pretty good,” says Roberts. “But, it was for a good cause, and Milton really came through for Bailey’s Café.”
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One-of-a-Kind Yamaha R1 Ridden By “King” Kenny Roberts Auctioned for Charity Raises $87,000!
Monterey, CA August 18, 2011 – The special, one-of-a-kind Yamaha® GYTR-equipped YZF-R1®, featuring Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary red-and-white paint scheme and ridden in demonstration laps by Kenny Roberts at last month’s Red Bull United States Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, was sold to the highest bidder at Mecum’s Motorcycle Auction this past Thursday night in Monterey, CA. Special guest auctioneers for the event were Roberts himself, along with television personality Jay Leno.
Proceeds from the auction benefited Bailey’s Café, a non-profit organization that brings youth and elders together through the arts and services and is located in Brooklyn, NY. The highest bidder was Milton Verret, who engaged in some spirited bidding and signaled his approval of a final bid and donations totaling $87,000 before the gavel fell.
Commenting on the auction, Leno said, “That was a lot of fun hanging out with Kenny, and I’m excited for the kids at Bailey’s Café in Brooklyn. That winning bid from Milton is going to buy a lot of supplies!”
Roberts added, “I’m kinda surprised that someone would pay for a bike that I sat my butt on and worked the rear tire on pretty good. But, it was for a good cause, and Milton really came through for Bailey’s Café.”
“This auction was another exciting event in our ongoing celebration of Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary of World Grand Prix Racing,” said Bob Starr, General Manager, National Communications for Yamaha’s Motorsports Group. “With Kenny and Jay involved in the fun—and for such a worthwhile cause—it was an especially memorable event.”
For more information on Bailey’s Café please go to www.baileyscafe.org.
For more information on Mecum’s Motorcycle Auction in Monterey go to http://www.mecum.com
Yamaha announced it is withdrawing its factory World Superbike Championship race team following the end of the 2011 season.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise, just a week after reports the team had re-signed racer Marco Melandri for the 2012 season. On the other hand, the team has struggled to find a title sponsor this season, as has Yamaha’s MotoGP team.
According to Yamaha Motor Europe, the decision to leave the series came after a strategic review of the company’s marketing efforts across Europe. Yamaha decided it is better off focusing its efforts on its customers instead of racing.
Melandri and teammate Eugene Laverty have been having doing well so far this season, sitting third and fourth, respectively, in the championship standings with five wins between them. Melandri in particular has been on fire of late, appearing on the podium in seven of the previous eight races.
[Source: Yamaha Motor Europe]
A special one-off Yamaha R1 that “King” Kenny Roberts will ride at Laguna Seca at this year’s U.S. Grand Prix will be auctioned off to benefit an arts school in New York.
The GYTR-equipped R1 with Yamaha’s 50th anniversary red and white paint scheme will be sold at Mecum’s Motorcycle Auction, Aug. 18, in Monterey Calif. by special guest auctioneers Roberts and television personality Jay Leno.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit Bailey’s Café, a school for the arts in the Bronx. Leno is a strong supporter of Bailey’s Café, helping to raise $120,000 for the school in 2009 by auctioning his own personal customized Yamaha V-Max.
[Source: Yamaha]
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Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. produced a series of videos featuring past and present World Champions Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies. Lawson, the four-time World Grand Prix Champion and Spies, the reigning World Superbike Champion, sat down in front of the cameras to talk about what it means to be champions.
Yamaha has released three episodes, check out the videos after the jump or see them at YChampions.com.
When Yamaha announced its new R1 literbike last fall, company reps told us about the tractability assets of its new, MotoGP-derived crossplane crankshaft for the four-cylinder engine. It’s unique in that cylinders fire 90-degrees apart, allegedly enabling better grip during acceleration.
