2018 Yamaha YZF-R1 WSBK Pata Team photos & details

2018 Yamaha YZF-R1 WSBK Pata Team photos & details
Yamaha Motor Europe Unveil 2018 Road Racing Lineup
Yamaha Motor Europe is delighted to announce its official road racing lineup for 2018, with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team leading the way as they spearhead the challenge for glory in the FIM Superbike World Championship. The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team will be back to defend their clean sweep of the FIM Supersport World Championship titles on offer in 2017 and, once again, six young talents will compete as a part of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge in the dramatic and exciting FIM Supersport 300 World Championship. Reigning FIM Endurance World Champions, the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, are unchanged for 2018 as they look to continue the incredible form that has seen them record four victories in the last five endurance races, as they renew their battle alongside the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team for the 2017/2018 FIM Endurance World Championship.

The 2018 WorldSBK season sees Crescent Racing continue their partnership with the Japanese manufacturer following Yamaha’s impressive return to the championship in 2016 after an absence of four years with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team. The 2017 season saw the team record six podiums with riders Alex Lowes (4) and Michael van der Mark (2) showing incredible improvements throughout the season, establishing themselves as regular podium contenders by the end of the year. Both riders return for the 2018 season to spearhead the team’s assault on the title onboard the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK YZF-R1s.

Yamaha Motor Europe is also delighted to announce a new partnership with Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing that will see the two brands work together, supporting a selection of riders from the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge and also the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) is the company who manufacture and distribute Yamaha motorcycles in Indonesia. The bikes will carry the Yamaha Indonesian slogan “Semakin di Depan”, which means “one step ahead”, a philosophy that embodies everything YIMM are trying to achieve, offering customers better products, better after sales services and more satisfaction. This marks an exciting new era in the Yamaha road racing project in helping to support racing around the world and the potential of the collaboration has already been highlighted by the excellent performances of Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama in the 2017 WorldSSP300 championship as a wildcard that earnt him a full-time place in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRUChallenge for 2018.

WorldSBK – Yamaha YZF-R1
The Yamaha YZF-R1 has proved itself on and off the track, claiming victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race alongside the British and American Superbike Championship titles during the first year of its triumphant return to motorsports in 2015. The R1 has since gone on to make it three consecutive victories at Suzuka (2015, 2016, 2017), plus also won the 2016/2017 FIM Endurance World Championship in the hands of the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team.
Replicating the production motorcycle, the WorldSBK-Spec YZF-R1 is adapted for World Championship competition by removing road-safety aspects such as headlights and wing-mirrors, replacing bodywork with racing items and allowing modifications to engine management, exhaust systems, suspension, brakes and a number of engine parts. Current regulations stipulate the bike must weigh a minimum of 168kg, with power ranging between 750cc and 1200cc, depending on the number of cylinders the engine contains, while the tuning of race machines is now subject to more limitations than in previous years due to the restriction of technical modifications.
Now in their third year back in the Superbike World Championship, Yamaha has been showing the competition what makes them one of the most well respected and timeless names in motorsport. With consistent results and year on year improvements to form, the YZF-R1 earned six podiums in 2017 for Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s Alex Lowes (4) and Michael van der Mark (2), establishing them as regular podium contenders by the end of the season, with the focus for 2018 on mounting a serious title challenge.

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