2009 YZR-M1 Fiat Yamaha Team launch

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News  30/01/2009  2009 YZR-M1 Fiat Yamaha Team launch Get ready for the launch! Yamaha are delighted to invite you to a very special virtual event. Join us online at 12pm on Monday 2nd February in the MotoGP channel to witness the exclusive unveiling of the 2009 Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1 livery by Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com

AMA-SX: Stewart closes on series lead with third victory

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RACE REPORT 25/01/2009 Stewart closes on series lead with third AMA win Houston Podium James Stewart raced to his third straight victory in just his fourth appearance in the AMA Supercross series with the San Manuel LandM YZ450F Yamaha. The 23 year old conquered the fourth round of the 2009 contest (also an FIM World Championship) at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas; the first time the '09 competition had left the west coast of the USA. Taking the win In front of a little more than 48,000 spectators Stewart started reasonably well and was fourth around the opening turns. He needed another two laps before he relegated Ryan Villopoto and was then able to control the remaining 17 circulations in the 16 minute sprint. The 2009 edition was the 44th Supercross meeting to be held in Houston with Pierre Karsmakers winning the inaugural event in 1974 with a Yamaha. Stewart's success increased Yamaha's tally to 15 triumphs in the State since the mid-1970s. In taking the chequered flag he also registered the 27th AMA SX win of his career. "The bike was definitely better this weekend," he said. "I just felt more comfortable when we first got here, and we changed some stuff, and it's coming along. I think it was definitely a better weekend for me, and I'm just going to try and keep on improving and see what happens." Josh Grant Supercross class rookie Joe Gibbs Racing's Josh Grant finished fifth to maintain his streak of a top five finish in each round so far. "I told myself coming into this season that I wanted to be top-five every weekend, and so far, I've been better than that," he reflected. "We had two good races at the beginning, and that's about it, but the last two tracks, I haven't really felt comfortable on, so for me to not feel comfortable on a track and still get top-five and still ride the way I've been riding is good." James Stewart Stewart has risen from fourth to second in the standings and now lies just 9 points behind leader Reed. Grant is in third place but level on points with his brand-mate. Round five takes place next weekend at the ATandT Park in San Francisco. Circuit Length: n/a Crowd: 48, 277 Weather: Dry 2009 AMA-SX Houston, TX 25/01/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Stewart Yamaha USA 16'45.374 2 Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 0'9.787 3 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'14.364 4 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'18.490 5 Josh Grant Yamaha USA 0'24.809 6 Ivan Tedesco Honda USA 0'28.060 7 Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 0'31.428 8 Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 0'33.838 9 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'40.082 10 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'42.851 11 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'44.486 12 Heath Voss Honda USA 0'54.668 13 Paul Carpenter Kawasaki USA -1 Laps 14 Cole Siebler Honda USA -1 Laps 15 Matt Boni Honda USA -1 Laps Rider Standings 24/01/2009 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 86 2. James Stewart Yamaha USA 77 3. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 77 4. Andrew Short Honda USA 71 5. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 68 6. Ivan Tedesco Honda USA 62 7. Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 56 8. Kevin Windham Honda USA 53 9. Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 46 10. David D Millsaps Honda USA 42 11. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 37 12. Paul Carpenter Kawasaki USA 37 13. Heath Voss Honda USA 30 14. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 26 15. Benjamin Coisy Honda FRA 22 Manufacturer Standings 24/01/2009 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 100 2. Suzuki 86 3. Honda 78 4. Kawasaki 70 5. KTM 13 Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com

Crutchlow shines in the wet and windy Portimao test

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News  26/01/2009  Crutchlow shines in the wet and windy Portimao test Cal Crutchlow World Supersport rookie Cal Crutchlow performed brilliantly at his second ever test ride on the Yamaha World Supersport machine. The young British rider battled high winds and adverse weather conditions to finish the three day test an impressive second place overall, less than a tenth of a second off fastest rider Lascorz with a time of 1'45.214. French team mate Fabien Foret proved that any demons from his crash in 2008 had been put firmly to rest, finishing the test with a competitive time of 1'46.036, less than a second from his new team mate. Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team "I enjoyed the test although I was a little bit disappointed with the weather. We wanted to get quite a lot done but didn't manage to get as much as we would have liked due to the changing conditions. We won't be out testing again now before Australia so the final test there will be a crucial one for us. Our time here in Portugal has proved we're up there in the championship and highly competitive. The team are working really well with me, we understand each other really well and I'm working well with the R6 too. It's been good for me and I'm looking forward to the next session." Fabien Foret Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team "It's been wet in the mornings and half dry in the afternoon, for me it's pointless to push too hard in these conditions. We tried to work as much as possible on the second day and we found a pretty good bike for me. I was getting the confidence back, it was getting easier to relax on the bike and I got up to fourth until a few minutes before the end when the other riders switched to fresh tires for a fast lap. My speed is back and my confidence too, I am back to how I was before my crash last year. I'm very happy, not just about the tests but about myself. I knew I would get my speed back and I was sure I would be fine but it's good to actually see it for real!" Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team Manager "Of course we were not really pleased with the weather, we had only 70 or 80 laps for both riders over the three days. We are quite pleased with the final results though. Fabien improved a lot over the last test in Portimao, in the first three splits he was as fast as the top guys. We are really pleased as we know after a big crash you have to see if everything is ok, but he's able to give 110 percent. Cal was consistently fast, there are no technical problems at all. I think it will be close racing this year but I'm confident we can fight for the championship. We have a very competitive package and we're looking forward to the season. There are some very strong riders but we have two of them!" Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com

Yamaha World Superbike Team on top form in Portimao despite bad weather

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News  26/01/2009  Yamaha World Superbike Team on top form in Portimao despite bad weather Ben Spies The first test of 2009 for the Yamaha World Superbike Team at the Portimao circuit in Portugal was hampered by bad weather for the duration of the three days. Despite this setback both new riders performed well, fine tuning their set ups for the upcoming test and first race of the 2009 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia. Young American three-time AMA Superbike star Ben Spies was consistently on the pace, and finished the test second fastest with an overall time of 1'43.484, less than two tenths of a second off fastest rider Shane Bryne. Spies team mate, Young rising British star Tom Sykes, took advantage of the test to catch up on time missed due illness at the previous test in South Africa and flew up the times, ending the test an impressive fourth, less than a tenth of a second from his team mate with a time of 1'43.546. This was only the third outing for the riders on the M1 derived 2009 Yamaha WSB YZF-R1. The advantage of the revolutionary cross plane crankshaft and uneven firing interval resulted in more grip and smoother torque delivery for Spies and Sykes, enabling both riders to achieve faster times in the dry and in the wet. With more fine-tuning to come the team are looking to be serious contenders in the 2009 WSB Championship. From the South Africa test to Portimao, the Yamaha team achieved a big power output, clearly demonstrated when the R1 claimed the maximum top speed of all teams at the Portugese test. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team "For sure it was good to be here and get more time on the bike and work with the team, the rain was a bit dodgy so it's been frustrating to get some decent track time. In the first of the new format Superpole test sessions on the last day we were quickest, unfortunately for the second session it rained and I didn't want to do anything silly so didn't push too hard. We worked on some settings over the test and got down to some pretty quick times. We got to try a few things with the bike and made a big step up, taking half a second a lap off, but the weather didn't allow us to get more. The bikes got good straight line speed now and we're continually improving. I'm very confident we've got what it takes to win. The team have been great, we're working really well together. I'm looking forward to getting to Australia and getting stuck in again!" Tom Sykes Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team "Yesterday when we had a bit more stable weather I had two hours good track time. We used the time wisely and chipped away every time went out, a bit of improvement with everything and I got a nice feeling with the bike and got fast consistent laps so was more than happy. I'm very satisfied with how the test has gone, we've made up for lost time in South Africa, I was a little behind before but have caught up! I'm looking forward to getting to Australia. A couple more questions we need to answer with the bike then we're ready for the race!" Massimo Meregalli Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager "The test went well, unfortunately the weather was bad every day and we only had two practices in the dry. But anyway, no matter what the conditions we were in front, in the top five. We didn't test as much as we would have liked to here, we didn't make a lot of changes but in the end the guys performed brilliantly and worked well with the team. There's still stuff we have to fix, but considering we have a new bike and new riders we are pretty satisfied and confident. We know we still have a lot of jobs to do but we will get them done. In the end we have only had three months with this new bike so we have done a great job! We will have more performance from the bike in Phillip Island. Tom did a really good job yesterday, looking to find a good set up without pushing too much and Ben was consistently fast and on the pace. In the end to be in the front with both riders is very positive!" Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com

AMA-SX: Stewart makes it two in a row

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RACE REPORT 18/01/2009 Stewart makes it two in a row with YZ450F Anaheim podium James Stewart scored his second win from three races in the seventeen round 2009 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) onboard his San Manuel LandM YZ450F by owning the 50th meeting to be held at the Anaheim Stadium in Los Angeles last Saturday. The AMA Motocross Champion took Yamaha's 17th success at the venue and also increased his personal triumph tally to 27; equalling Bob Hannah in 5th place on the all-time victory roll. Stewart in flight Despite the impressive numbers Anaheim II was a hard meeting for the 23 year old. He collided with Travis Preston during practice and badly cut his hand, he then admitted that he made mistakes and wasn't riding well during the race that was watched by over 43,000 people. On a track that was not easy for overtaking Stewart needed half of the 20 laps to pass Ivan Tedesco, Ryan Villopoto and then impressive Rookie and fellow Yamaha rider Josh Grant. Two circulations later and he demoted Kevin Windham for the lead and would hold the advantage to the chequered flag. Chad Reed had recovered from a first corner crash to make his way to second place, therefore limiting Stewart's points gain in the standings. Grant held on for fifth place and has yet to drop out of the top five in the first three events. Across LA whoops "It was a tough weekend for me as far as getting adjusted to the track," Stewart admitted. "Also, physically, it was definitely tough for me. But if we can get wins like this, I can't imagine what it will be like when things go smoothly; maybe we can do even better." Josh Grant Stewart is now up to fourth in the series, 12 points from the top, while Grant is second and just 3 points from reigning champion Reed. Round 4 takes place next Saturday at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Crowd: 43,009 Weather: Dry 2009 AMA-SX Anaheim, CA 18/01/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Stewart Yamaha USA 20'57.778 2 Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 0'3.540 3 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'4.189 4 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0'10.181 5 Josh Grant Yamaha USA 0'16.036 6 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'21.941 7 Ivan Tedesco Honda USA 0'31.473 8 Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 0'41.525 9 Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 0'45.931 10 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'47.333 11 Paul Carpenter Kawasaki USA 0'49.146 12 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'51.536 13 Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 0'53.474 14 Heath Voss Honda USA 0'91.522 15 Troy Adams Honda USA -1 Laps Rider Standings 17/01/2009 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 64 2. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 61 3. Andrew Short Honda USA 53 4. James Stewart Yamaha USA 52 5. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 48 6. Ivan Tedesco Honda USA 47 7. Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 43 8. Kevin Windham Honda USA 41 9. Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 32 10. David D Millsaps Honda USA 31 11. Paul Carpenter Kawasaki USA 29 12. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 27 13. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 26 14. Heath Voss Honda USA 21 15. Benjamin Coisy Honda FRA 17 Manufacturer Standings 17/01/2009 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 75 2. Suzuki 64 3. Honda 60 4. Kawasaki 50 5. KTM 10 Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61hs / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 625 6539 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. http://www.yamaha-racing.com