Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce its official road racing program for 2018, led by the team Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team as spearhead in the FIM Superbike World Championship. THE GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team will return to defend its title acquired in the FIM Supersport World Championship in 2017 and, once again, six young talents will compete in the Yamaha R3 blue cRU Challenge in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship.
The reigning FIM Endurance World Champions, the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, remain unchanged for 2018 as they look to continue the incredible form that has seen them claim four wins in the last five endurance races, as they renew their commitment alongside the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team in the 2017/2018 FIM World Endurance Championship.
The 2018 WorldSBK season sees Crescent Racing continue its partnership with the Japanese manufacturer following Yamaha's impressive return to the championship in 2016 with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team, after a four-year absence. Alex Lowes (27 years) and Michael van der Mark (25 years old) showed incredible progress throughout the season, establishing themselves as regular contenders for the podium at the end of the year. Both riders return for the 2018 season to lead the team's assault on the title aboard Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1s.
Last season was an incredible year for the 6 Yamaha YZF-R2017s, as the official team GRT Yamaha WorldSSP Team has managed to achieve a large number of in-game victories in one of the most competitive categories on the planet. The 28-year-old Frenchman, Lucas Mahias, won the title of FIM Supersport world champion in 2017, while his teammate Federico Caricasulo, winner of races in Thailand and Jerez, finished the season in fifth place overall, also impressing on the new R6, which resulted in GRT winning the WorldSSP team title, and Yamaha taking the manufacturer's crown WorldSSP. The 2018 season sees Mahias return to defend his title alongside teammate Caricasulo and team manager Filippo Conti.
The first edition of Yamaha R3 Challenge bLU cRU saw six young riders compete aboard a Yamaha YZF-R3 in the inaugural season of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship. Alfonso Coppola emerged as the winner of the challenge, now taking the next step in his career as a member of the Yamaha family in WorldSSP this year. The 2018 season will see six more hungry young riders compete in one of the most exciting two-wheel races on the planet. Galang Hendra Pratama (18), the Indonesian wildcard who won the final round of the 300 WorldSSP2017 season in Jerez, leads the pack of bLU cRU riders, alongside Luca Bernardi (16 years old) from Italy, Dutch Dennis Koopman (20 years) and Joep Overbeeke (18 years old), the Greek Notis Papapavlou (17 years old) and the French Hugo de Cancellis (16 years).
The 2016/2017 FIM Endurance World Championship saw the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team win his third endurance title after dominating the majority of races. A disastrous first round at the Bol d'Or saw the team bounce back by winning all three races in a row at Le Mans, Oschersleben and the Slovak Ring. A solid 11th place at Suzuka was enough for them to be crowned World Endurance Champions for the third time in their history, complementing the titles obtained in 2004 and 2014, and compensating for the frustration of losing the championship by only one point. in 2016.
The GMT94 retains the three drivers who won the title in 2016/2017, with the Spaniard David Checa at the start of his 16th consecutive season with the team, the 125 2008cc World Champion Mike Di Meglio who returns alongside the former MotoGP/Moto2 rider, 1000 FIM Superstock 2007 Champion and official test rider of the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Niccolò Canepa. Together, they got off to the best possible start by securing a maximum 60 points in the first round of the 2017/2018 season, at the 24 Hours of Bol d'Or.
Le YART Yamaha Official EWC Team was involved in a superb duel with GMT94 throughout the 2016/2017 season. Podiums at Le Mans and Oschersleben, as well as a fifth place at Suzuka meaning they were once again the best placed full-time team across the finish line in Japan, saw them finish the season in third place in the general classification. YART changes team for 2018, with former driver Takuya Fujita of Japan replacing his compatriot Kohta Nozane after the first round at the Bol d'Or, to complete an already impressive team featuring the experienced Australian Broc Parkes and the talented German Marvin Fritz, while YART aims to win its first World Endurance Championship in 9 years.
Yamaha Motor Europe is also pleased to announce a new partnership with Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing which will see the two brands working together, supporting a selection of riders from the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge and the official WorldSBK Pata Yamaha team. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) is the company that manufactures and distributes Yamaha motorcycles in Indonesia. The motorcycles will carry Yamaha's Indonesian slogan "Semakin di Depan", meaning "one step forward", a philosophy that embodies everything YIMM tries to achieve, providing customers with the best products, after-sales service and more satisfaction. This marks an exciting new era in Yamaha's road racing project, helping to support racing around the world, and the potential of the collaboration has already been highlighted by the Indonesian rider's excellent performances. Galang Hendra Pratama in the 2017 WorldSSP300 World Championship, with a wildcard that earned him a full-time spot in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge for 2018.
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Project Manager: “The 2017 season was an incredible season for Yamaha and the results we achieved in all categories mean we head into 2018 full of confidence. One of the key factors in motorsport is continuity and this is something we attach great importance to. We are delighted to have retained Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark as part of the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team after such a promising year for the team in 2017. Triple Crown winner GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team remains also unchanged, with 2017 world champion Lucas Mahias returning to defend his title alongside teammate Federico Caricasulo. The GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, 2016/2017 FIM Endurance World Champion, has confirmed that all three riders who won the title last year will return, with David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio having already taken the best possible start after winning the maximum 60 points in the first round of the season, at the Bol d'Or last September. The official YART Yamaha EWC Team continues its momentum with Broc Parkes and Marvin Fritz returning for 2018, accompanied by former rider Takuya Fujita replacing his compatriot Kohta Nozane. And of course we once again look to the future with six young riders from the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge competing in the SSP 300 World Championship. The winter testing season brought very encouraging results, all teams making impressive progress. I believe another key factor in this season will be the positive winning mentality that shined in 2017. If we could continue to build on that and push the boundaries, I believe we could have an even better year than 2017 and I would like to wish all the teams and riders good luck for the season.”
Minoru Morimoto, President Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing: “I am so happy and excited to join the team with a spirit of 'Semakin di Depan'. Our Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama is a challenger, and although he is a young boy, he is full of talent and passion, which was proven in the last race of 2017 in Jerez with his first victory as a wildcard driver. We are delighted to be able to support his move from AARC to the 2018 WorldSSP300 World Championship as a full-time rider. Since the Yamaha YZF-R3 is produced in Indonesia with all our passion, and of course Galang is Indonesian, it means we will have a real Indonesian package in the World Championship. We will see what happens, but we are confident that his victory in Jerez will not be unique. I was lucky enough to compete in the German Championship, the Dutch Open Championship and the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in the 1990s, where I had incredible support from the fans Europeans, and I hope Galang will also get help and support from everyone in Europe, because we believe he could be the next big Asian star in the World Championship. At YIMM, we are excited to support the future of racing and create something special to give the world's best young drivers a clear career path to the World Championship. We would like to help the next generation of young Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge riders with the 'Semakin di Depan' spirit! »
Paddock-GP translation