Our Racing DNA

Entering as a new player in an already existing motorcycle market meant we had to prove ourselves quickly. To make sure the media, customers and others in the industry took Yamaha seriously, we put all our efforts into preparing our first motorcycle - the YA-1 - to win the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race. This race took place just one week after Yamaha was officially founded on 1 July 1955. The event was a huge success for Yamaha with its rider Teruo Okada winning the race, and six more YA-1 riders finishing within the top ten positions.

The next race - the 1st Asama Highland Race – was held four months later. Yamaha again took the race victory and filled the first four place in the 125cc class.  Yamaha went on to win the 125cc and 250cc classes at the 2nd Asama Highland Race. The excellent performance and quality of the YA-1 - as well as our never-give-up attitude - convinced everyone that Yamaha was a serious contender and should be taken into account.

However, we don’t race solely for the sake of racing. New technologies developed by our Yamaha Racing teams are shared with the production teams and implemented into production models. This is the case today and it will always be the case in the future.