More than 70 years after Yamaha entered its first motorcycle race, racing remains one of the most important parts of the company’s identity.

While many riders know Yamaha through motorcycles such as the R15, R3, MT-09, XSR900 or NMAX, fewer realise how much modern Yamaha motorcycles continue to benefit from racing development.

Not every rider needs a Yamaha R1M. In fact, one of the biggest misconceptions in track riding is that faster motorcycles automatically make faster riders.​

Spend enough time around racetracks and you’ll quickly realise that’s not always true.

When people think of Yamaha today, motorcycles such as the R1, MT-09, XMAX and NMAX often come to mind. What many riders may not realise is that Yamaha’s racing story began almost at the same time as the company itself.

For decades, motorcycle racing has been one of the most demanding sports on the planet. Split-second decisions. Extreme precision. The courage to push a motorcycle to its limits.

Yet despite the growth of motorsport around the world, female representation at the highest levels of circuit racing has remained relatively small.