Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce a program increased support for private teams competing in the FIM Endurance World Championship during the 2018/2019 season, which begins with the Bol d'Or at the Circuit Paul Ricard on September 15.
This program, the first of its kind in the World Endurance Championship, will see teams competing with the Yamaha YZF-R1 rewarded for their results with increased support from the manufacturer, both financial and technical, as part of the Yamaha Motor Europe's commitment to the development and growth of privateer teams on the global stage.
Open to private teams racing in the EWC and Superstock categories, the increased support program has already proven popular with existing competitors. French teams Yamaha Viltais Experience, 3 ART Moto Team 95 and Moto Ain quickly committed to the program, as did Team Wepol Racing from Germany and Maco Racing Team from Slovakia.
Discussions are currently underway with a number of other teams who have expressed interest in this innovative program, and further announcements are expected in the near future.
The increased support program was introduced in response to the GMT94 Yamaha Factory Team's decision to move from the EWC to the FIM Supersport World Championship for the 2019 season.
Eric de Seynes, President, Yamaha Motor Europe NV,: “For the next EWC season, which will start with the Bol d'Or, the YART Yamaha Official EWC team will fight for race victories and for the world endurance title that they already won a few years ago . They have fantastic experience, high technical abilities and surely one of the best driver teams.
Additionally, given that the GMT94 has decided to leave the EWC and move to the World Supersport program, Yamaha Motor Europe wants to increase its commitment to this unique category where the Yamaha YZF-R1 is the best, or at least one of the best racing motorcycles. We have decided to develop a new 'Yamaha Supported Teams' program to increase our support for a selection of experienced privateer teams who will race the YZF-R1.
Participating teams, including five from France, Germany and Slovakia with more to come, will receive increased support from Yamaha, partly proportional to their results achieved throughout the season. The goal is clear: to enable these Yamaha teams to be more competitive, to compete on an equal footing with the factory teams, and to support the racing results and reputation of our fantastically prepared YZF-R1 with GYTR parts.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Christophe Guyot and the GMT94 Team for their exceptional contribution to Yamaha's success in the FIM Endurance World Championship, with two world titles and always in the Top 2 over the last six seasons. I hope they will have the same level of success for their next seasons in the FIM Supersport World Championship”.
Paddock-GP translation
