Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter The Brazil GP (Round 3) of the 2014 Motocross World Championships Spotlight: Off-road Racing Race Activities (2) May 15, 2014 (Issue No. 17)
Race Activities (2): Off-road Racing Sharing the fun and excitement of off-road riding, from recreational riding to world-class competition Hakan Andersson rode a machine with a Monocross suspension to bring Yamaha its first World Motocross Championship title (1973) As Yamaha Motor was solidifying its base as a motorcycle manufacturer in the 1960s, it found a new source of motorcycling fun and excitement different from that of road racing in the emerging sport of off-road scramble racing. After that, Yamaha expanded its competitive challenges to other fields of off-road competition such as motocross, trials, and rally racing, and won many laurels in the process. Also, the technological advances born of these challenges were fed back into the development of subsequent production racers and production models, and today, these efforts continue to bring the joy of riding to motorcycle fans around the world. In this issue, we introduce the trailblazing and significance of Yamaha s activities in off-road racing. The DT-1 the original Yamaha off-road sport bike Look at that machine! It doesn t have any rear suspension! These were the kind of comments that could be heard from trackside fans watching in disbelief as three Yamaha YZM125 machines fitted with the new Monocross suspension raced by with unmatched speed in the opening round of the All Japan Motocross Championship series in March 1973. In that debut race, the three Yamaha machines dominated the field to score a 1-2-3 finish. That year, Yamaha would win both the 125cc and 250cc class titles of the All Japan Championship and also enter the YZM250 into the 250cc class of the World Motocross Championships fitted with a Monocross suspension. Hakan Andersson rode this machine to bring Yamaha its first World Motocross With its slim, smart-looking chassis and outstanding off-road performance, the DT-1 was very popular with customers as soon as it was released Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter 2
Yamaha s first single-cylinder motocross machine, the YX26 won its debut race in May 1967 ridden by Tadao Suzuki (4 th Motocross Japan GP) Championship title. After spreading the appeal of its sport bikes through road race activities from the year of its founding, it was in the early 1960s that Yamaha first ventured into the world of off-road racing. In Japan at the time, scramble races run on unpaved courses along rivers or in the highlands using production on-road models modified for off-road use had become popular, and would eventually develop into full-fledged motocross competition. These developments prompted Yamaha Motor to establish a new department to develop off-road machines. In 1967, the department developed its first bike, the 250cc single-cylinder YX26 factory machine, and it would pave the way to an active program of off-road racing. At the same time, with its vast areas of open land and mountain and woodland trails, a big boom in trail riding was occurring in the United States. At Yamaha Motor headquarters, fervent requests were coming in for a slim, European-style off-road model. Those requests led to the development of the DT-1 model that took the YX26 as its base. It mounted a torquey 2-stroke single-cylinder engine on a slim, lightweight chassis and had front and rear suspensions with plenty of stroke length for off-road riding. The DT-1 s off-road performance completely out-classed the conventional production models of the day. It became an instant hit in both the U.S. and Japan right after its 1968 release, and became the forebear of all Yamaha off-road sport models. Monocross Suspension Yamaha developed, practicalized and patented this rear suspension system that uses a single shock absorber unit to support the swingarm. It was the first of its kind in the world, and today, a number of variations have been developed, but the original Monocross suspension had the shock absorber unit attached to the frame s head pipe and it passed under the fuel tank to connect to the truss-structured swingarm. This structure boasted several advantages such as enabling more wheel travel and excellent ground tracking performance compared to conventional twin shock rear suspensions and having greater resistance to lateral torsion. With its great performance off-road, it won a reputation in Japan as the Flying Suspension and had a big influence domestically and internationally. Off-road racing brings new demand and excitement After its extraordinary success with the DT-1, Yamaha Motor quickly expanded its lineup with a wide variety of models ranging from 50cc to 360cc in displacement to create the Yamaha Trail Series. In addition to making the inviting world of off-road sports accessible to the average rider with these models, Yamaha also launched a series of models for full-fledged competition like the YZ250 production motocross machine and the TY250 machine for trials. With all these models, Yamaha was able to expand its sales network globally from Japan to markets like North America and Europe. For Japan in particular, the spread of off-road models was prompted by events like rider training sessions and one-make races being organized throughout the country, and the establishment and running of user clubs and riding facilities. At the time, news, familiarity and experience regarding motocross or trial competition was sparse in Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter 3
Japan. So, all of these efforts and programs played an essential role in building a true culture of off-road motorsports that was not reliant on short-lived trends or the novelty of the products, and they would provide the infrastructure and know-how for the growth of motorsports afterwards. At the same time Yamaha Motor was working to communicate the fun and value of these products and create new demand, efforts were also being made to strengthen the top Yamaha teams (factory teams). By continuing to equip its 125cc, 250cc and 500cc class competition machines with new technologies like the Monocross suspension, the Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS), liquid-cooled engines and aluminum frames, a number of Yamaha world champions were born, including Heikki Mikkola, Neil Hudson, Danny LaPorte and Hakan Carlqvist. In Japan as well, Yamaha riders such as Hideaki Suzuki, Torao Suzuki, Katsuhiko Seo and Tetsumi Mitsuyasu became All Japan Motocross Champions on these machines. Also in America, Yamaha riders were sent to complete in Mick Andrews, winner of the 1974 and 1975 SSDT (Scottish Six Days Trial) competition on a Yamaha YZT250, served as an instructor in trial riding classes in Japan and Australia, and helped spread the sport (photo taken on a closed course in 1973) the newly founded AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross championships. One of these Yamaha riders, Pierre Karsmakers, became the first Supercross 250cc class champion, and other star riders like Bob Hannah and Broc Glover would also become champions. In this way, riders on Yamaha machines would become the central players of the motocross world from the 1970s into the 1980s. Pioneering 4-stroke technology expands rider options Continuously improving the 2-stroke machines that were its traditional specialty, Yamaha won an impressive number of accolades in both road racing and motocross. But, from the 1990s, the trend toward 4-stroke production motorcycles began to grow. Believing that it was only a matter of time before this trend reached the still 2-stroke dominated race scene, Yamaha took the lead in the ambitious task of developing a competitive 4-stroke motocross race machine. The result was the YZM400F factory machine powered by a 4-stroke, DOHC, 5-valve, single-cylinder engine that was comparable in weight and performance to the 250cc 2-stroke machines. This new machine made its debut in the 500cc class of the World Motocross Championships in 1997, and Andrea Bartolini rode the 4-stroke YZM400F that season to four heat victories. Doug Henry and the YZM400F also made a special entry in the 1997 AMA Supercross Championship in the U.S. In the last round of the series, Henry scored the first victory in the series history for a 4-stroke machine, and the next year won the AMA 250cc Motocross Championship title on a production YZ400F. This success was followed by Bartolini winning the World Motocross Championship s 500cc class title that same year riding the new YZ426F Competing against 250cc 2-strokes as a special entry in the AMA Supercross series, Doug Henry rode the 4-stroke YZM400F competition machine to a historic first victory in the last round of the series machine. The addition of Stefan Everts to the Yamaha factory team in 2001 marked the start of a new era of dominance by Yamaha 4-stroke race machines that would see him win an unprecedented six straight world titles in the pinnacle classes (500cc/MX-GP/MX1) as the sport evolved. Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter 4
Not only in Europe and North America but also in Asia, South America and other areas, a full range of models and riding infrastructure are being put in place for riders to step up through displacement classes In addition to factory race machines, Yamaha also provided non-professional riders with a series of 4-stroke production racers, beginning with the YZ400F released in 1998. Today, Yamaha offers a full selection of machines designed to fit a variety of off-road competition regulations for motocross, enduro, rally categories and more. There are models for youth riders like the PW50 and TT-R50E and a full choice of variations from 85cc to 450cc in both 2-stroke and 4-stroke configurations to fit rider needs and bring the joy of riding off-road to fans around the world. Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter 5
Message from the Editor The machines ridden by the Yasuhara siblings were on display at some of Japan s biggest motorcycle events held this spring and grabbed the attention of many visitors Saya remarks, A lot of people that we had no connection with before now cheer us on thanks to Lapis, and I'm glad I decided to try this new collaboration. Pictured is her brother Nozomu on the #34 Merli machine In this month s issue, we looked back at Yamaha s motocross history. Today in Japan s motocross racing scene, Yamaha riders are trying something new. Siblings Saya Yasuhara and Nozomu Yasuhara have the likenesses of popular Vocaloid (singing voice synthesis software developed by Yamaha Corporation) characters Aoki Lapis and Merli on their racing machines. Lapis and Merli cheer on Saya and Nozomu as they race, while the siblings communicate the appeal of these two characters to the motocross world. It s pretty difficult to find a connection with the world of motocross racing. But, if you try it just once and experience the smell of the dirt, the sight of the plumes of dust the machines raise, the power of the machines that fly past you in a flash and the will to win from the riders, you ll want to keep coming again and again. I m always cheering on the Yasuhara siblings, and I look forward to seeing what becomes of their collaboration with popular Japanese subculture! Mariko Saito Global PR Team, Public Relations & Advertising Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan TEL. 0538-32-1145 FAX. 0538-37-4250 E-mail: saitoumar@yamaha-motor.co.jp *Prior to any use of the article(s) and photographs contained within this newsletter, please contact me. Yamaha Motor Monthly Newsletter 6