At the instigation ofEric de Seynes, President of Yamaha Motor Europe (And passionate about competition since its childhood), the brand with three tuning forks continues its intensive effort in the Superbike World Championship and is represented in 2020 by five riders, but only three of them have the new R1.
Three teams defend the colors of the Japanese manufacturer: Michael van der Mark et Toprak Razgatlioglu form the factory team (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and of course use the new R1 presented at Laguna Seca last July. Loris Baz has the same equipment, prepared by the care of the Ten Kate team (while it is Crescent for the official team).
The junior team (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), with Supersport runner-up Federico Caricasulo and third in the American MotoAmerica Championship, Garrett Gerloff, begins the season with last year's bikes. The transition to the new model during the season will depend on the results.
A new, improved "crossplane" crankshaft engine provides greater stability at high revs, while featuring new camshaft profiles and a new cylinder head and intake layout, delivering performance optimal.
Kervin Bos, Ten Kate team manager, explains what makes Loris Baz's bike different from the factory bikes: “ Last year our motorcycle only differed in details compared to the factory motorcycles. »
“We were using Nissin brakes, as well as other brake discs and wheels. The motors were more or less identical, as were the electronics, we had a customer version and we didn't have access to everything. Last year we had a lot to learn. »
As a tuning company, Ten Kate is naturally interested in putting its own ideas into practice. Gerrit ten Kate, one of the two founders of the team with his cousin Ronald, was a cross-country pilot and built his engines himself. Then his competitors called on his services, and he then moved on to speed racing. He won the Supersport World Championship nine times with Michael van der Mark, Kenan Sofuoglu, Andrew Pitt, Sébastien Charpentier, Karl Muggeridge, Chris Vermeulen and Fabien Foret.
Bos has a lot of positive things to gain from the new engine fitted for Loris Baz: “Yamaha has a strong package, what we can improve is the engine. »
“With the new engine, it looks like everything is in place to find more power. For the World Superbike Championship, this is a big improvement – last season Ducati had around ten horsepower more than anyone else. Just look at the top speed numbers. »
“The chassis hasn't changed compared to last year, but the fairing is different. It's wider at the top and narrower at the bottom – the airflow is much better to protect the rider. It suits Loris Baz because he's grown up. »
Photos © Yamaha
Source: Speedweek. com
