YMA announces comprehensive 2009 race plans
Despite the indications given by the economic doom and gloom merchants, the motorcycle industry is buzzing with retail sales still strong. And YMA has some bold plans for 2009 to keep the blue brand at the front of the pack.
Yamaha is committed to protecting its strong brand image in Australia, and racing is one of the best ways to achieve this. If 2009 is half as successful as 2008 we’ll be well on the way to reaching the goal to sell on Monday what wins on Sunday.
At a time when some manufacturers have announced their intention to cut back on racing, Yamaha remains committed to sport and is once again the major sponsor of the Phillip Island round of the SBK world championship. This is the first round of the 2009 series and heralds the race debut of Yamaha’s eagerly anticipated all new crossplane crank YZF-R1.
On a local level YMA continues to support the factory Yamaha Racing Team featuring current Australian Supersport champion Jamie Stauffer and brother Dan who will campaign the all new YZF-R1 in the Australian Superbike series. The Stauffers are joined by Bryan Staring on the 2009 YZF-R6, plus 19-year-old prospect Pat Medcalf will challenge for superstock honours in a newly created class on the revolutionary new 2009 R1.
In addition, YMA will continue to support the upcoming FZ6 Masters Series in the 2009 Australian Superbike Championship. Introduced in 2007, this one model race series has proved a successful entry level budget race class and has highlighted how capable and versatile the FZ6 is. Rick Olsen, who performed consistently well in the FZ6 series last season, has been rewarded with a Yamaha supported ride in the superstock class, proving that the factory teams are looking at the one model race class as a source of emerging talent.
Motocross/supercross
Australian motocross champion Jay Marmont will be out to defend his title on the YZ450F and he is again joined on the CDR Rockstar Yamaha Team by Cheyne Boyd. In the Lites class, Mitch Hoad and Kirk Gibbs will campaign YZ250Fs and will be joined by youngster Matt Ryan in the SERCO Yamaha team camp.
Yamaha will also campaign a strong national Under 19 squad with riders who have already cut their teeth in our state based junior development teams. The Under 19 setup is a stepping stone between junior and full factory teams and exists to ensure the best riders stay on Yamahas throughout their careers. This year, the YZ250F mounted riders are junior champ Harley Quinlan, NSW gun Luke Styke and fast Tasmanian Ross Beaton.
Yamaha will also continue to invest heavily in youth by supporting its state based Junior Development teams aimed at giving young guns their first start in MX/SX racing.
And Yamaha’s Academy incorporating the Australian Institute of Motocross is dedicated to offering the best MX and off road training available to beginners and experts alike on a national scale.
Enduro
Meanwhile in the off road world, four time world enduro champion Stefan Merriman has joined the Ballards Wellard Yamaha team. The news that Merriman will compete in the Australian Off Road Championship will be a positive influence not just to his team mates but to the whole off road scene.
The legendary enduro rider is joined by super fast Jarrod Bewley (WR450F), Junior Champion Ben Burrell (WR250F) Josh Ballard (WR480F); Liam Robertson (WR250F); Kirk Hutton (WR250F) and of course team manager Geoff Ballard (WR450F).
Meanwhile Women’s Enduro Champion and Australia’s fastest female off road racer Alison Parker will continue to show the others the way on her WR250F.
FMX
If it’s looking like a good year for the blue race teams, the freestyle arena is an area that Yamaha fully dominates. Gary Reid’s Showtime Yamaha FMX team appears in shows across the country effectively introducing the ‘ride blue’ message to the younger generation. And team member Kain Saul is current Australian freestyle champion.
Add to this the incredibly talented duo – and media magnets – Robbie Maddison (current world long distance jump holder) and Cam Sinclair (double backflip exponent) and it’s easy to see why Yamaha is the brand of choice in this segment.
With the continuing production of the YZ two-stroke range, Yamaha is in the best position to capitalise on retail sales.
ATV
The new YFZ450R ATV will be given a thorough workout in 2009 by reigning Australian ATV Quad Motocross Champion Ryan Lancaster. The WA rider is currently nursing a wrist injury but says he will be ready for the season opener and is stoked with the many upgrades made to the new ‘R’ model race-bred ATV.
And it’s not just sports ATV that are in the limelight. Yamaha’s ATV Safety Institute instructor Rod Jenner has another packed calendar for 2009 which sees him demonstrate safe riding techniques on utility ATVs at farm days across the country.
The above is just a snapshot of YMA’s 2009 support plans in Australia. On a global scale, Yamaha continues to be at the forefront of the premier road racing class with the Fiat Yamaha team and in particular reigning champion Valentino Rossi. World Motocross Champion David Philippaerts will continue to campaign his YZ450F and currently James Stewart is riding high with four wins in a row in the AMA supercross series.
The year is already off to a great start with a YFM700R Raptor winning the quad class in the Dakar and a WR450F taking the class win and incredible third place overall thanks to David Fretigne.
Yamaha teams across the globe will continue to work flat out in 2009 to produce the best results so that customers who want to be associated with a winning brand opt for the tuning fork.