The story leading up to the opening round of the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike season was whether anyone would be able to keep up with defending champion Josh Hayes. After all, the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha rider dominated the competition last season winning 16 of 20 races including a string of 10 in a row.

The season-opening round at Daytona International Speedway appeared to start on script with Hayes qualifying in pole position. But when the real racing began, the plot began to veer off course for Hayes due to mechanical problems.

Hayes was off to a good start in Race 1, but he may have pushed too hard for the lead, damaging his clutch. Hayes slowed down considerably on Lap 5, ceding the lead to his teammate Josh Herrin with Yoshimura Suzuki‘s Martin Cardenas close behind. Cardenas was a close second just 0.135 seconds behind. Formost Insurance Pegram Racing‘s Larry Pegram finished 7.539 seconds back on his Yamaha R1 to complete the podium. Continue Reading »

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released an updated list of motorcycles homologated for the 2013 Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock racing season. Notable additions include the new BMW S1000RR HP4, the MV Agusta F3 and the Superbike-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale R.

To qualify a production-based racebike for FIM homologations, manufacturers have to meet certain production thresholds. Manufacturers must first produce 125 units ahead of a homologation inspection. After that, manufacturers have to produce a minimum of 500 units by June 30 and 1000 units by December 31 of the current year, and a minimum of 2000 units by the December 31 of the following year.

Production counts include both ABS and non-ABS versions of the same model, and at least 250 units of each version have to be produced. Production models must also be available for sale in either the U.S., Europe or Japan by the end of April of the current year to qualify. Continue Reading »

Today, Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, has announced its U.S. road racing teams to compete in the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Racing season, which kicks off in March at the famed Daytona International Speedway.  Continue Reading »

Last week, we wrote about retired Formula One racer Michael Schumacher taking part in a track day at France’s Paul Ricard circuit on a Ducati 1199 Panigale. The event’s sponsor, Monster Energy, has released a video offering a behind-the-scenes look at the event.

The seven-time F1 champion was joined by TT racer John McGuinness, retired MotoGP racer Randy Momola, Moto2 racer Pol Espargaro and Keith Flint, a musician from the group Prodigy and a racer in the U.K.’s  Hottrax Endurance Championship.

Schumacher rode on a Panigale dressed in the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team’s gray color (perhaps a bit awkward considering Ducati‘s new owner Audi). As expected, McGuinness rode on his Honda TT Legends team’s CBR1000RR, and Espargaro on his FTR Kalex Moto2 bike. Mamola rode a Yamaha YZF-R1,while Flint rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 endurance racer to complete the varied collection of sportbikes.

Check out the video after the jump, and especially the shot of the four riders pulling wheelies just after the 3-minute mark. Continue Reading »

Yamaha announced it is developing a new three-cylinder engine using a crossplane crankshaft inherited from the company’s YZR-M1 MotoGP bike and its YZF-R1 sportbike. Yamaha says the new Triple will play an important role in the company’s future.

The Japanese manufacturer unveiled a concept sculpture with the new three-cylinder engine at the 2012 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. The sculpture is abstract, showing little beyond the engine, wheels and front fork, but the tires and wheels would suggest the first model to use the new engine will be a streetbike.

Yamaha trumpets the benefits of its crossplane crankshaft which has been used in bikes that have won championships in MotoGP, World Superbike and AMA Superbike. Yamaha claims the engine offers linear driving power and more efficient torque output. Yamaha hopes the crossplane crankshaft can work additional wonders as a platform for a new generation of models. Continue Reading »

Monster Energy Graves Yamaha‘s Josh Hayes has clinched his third consecutive AMA Superbike title with his record 14th win of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The win in the second race of the Miami round was the 31st of Hayes’ career. It followed a rare misstep in Race One which saw Hayes crashing after clipping a curb on the third lap. Hayes settled for a 12th-place finish, ending his record winning streak at 10 victories.

Hayes responded for Race 2 with a come-from-behind effort, erasing a 15-second deficit to take the win ahead of Attack Performance Kawasaki‘s Steve Rapp and Jordan Suzuki‘s Ben Bostrom. Continue Reading »

We reported earlier today Yamaha Motor USA unveiled new colors and graphics for its 2013 YZF-R1 and YZF-R6. Mechanically unchanged from last year’s models, Yamaha‘s two sportbikes each get three color options including a “Team Yamaha” blue and white model.

What Yamaha isn’t offering to its U.S. customers is a new “Race-Blu” livery, introduced today at Misano for the upcoming MotoGP round. Yamaha factory racers Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will race this weekend wearing the Race-Blu livery on their leathers and on their YZR-M1 racebikes.

The Aldo Drudi-designed two-tone blue and matte gray color will also be offered on European versions of the R1, the R6 and the entry-level YZF-R125. These three models are just the beginning however. Yamaha says the Race-Blu series will be an integral part of Yamaha’s lineup for future model years as well. Continue Reading »

Yamaha announced new 2013 colors and graphics for its flagship sportbike, the YZF-R1. Beside the three color options, the 2013 Yamaha R1 returns unchanged, after getting a new seven-level traction control system in 2012.

The three color options for 2013 are Matte Gray, Rapid Red and Raven, and the Team Yamaha Blue and White.

Powering the R1 is the 998cc liquid-cooled engine with a crossplane crankshaft derived from Yamaha’s MotoGP program. Continue Reading »

Yamaha is giving away a 50th Anniversary Edition YZR-R1 autographed by current and former Grand Prix racers to benefit Bubba Shobert‘s Race 2 Embrace Crusade. The one-0f-a-kind R1 will be on display at the July 27-29 U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca

The unique R1 is painted in Yamaha‘s 50th Anniversary colors and features autographs from legends such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey, as well as current MotoGP racers Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies from the factory Yamaha team and Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso from the Tech 3 Yamaha team.

AMA racing legend Shobert is the official ambassador for the Race 2 Embrace Crusade, a non-profit organization that assists children living in areas devastated by natural disasters. The organization provides goods and services including shelter, health care, nutrition, education and social and emotional assistance. Continue Reading »

Authorities in British Columbia, Canada, have impounded a 2006 Yamaha R1 believed to have starred in a YouTube video reaching speeds of 299 kph (185 mph) on a freeway.

The onboard video, embedded after the jump, captures the Yamaha weaving through traffic, and often lane-splitting between other vehicles, covering a 4.67 mile stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in about a minute and 56 seconds. That translates to an average speed of 144.6 mph.

Vancouver Island police fielded numerous reports from witnesses, determining the video was filmed April 6 at around 4 p.m. Investigators identified the IP address used to upload the video, helping them track down the person they believe to be the rider in the video. Continue Reading »