CELEBRATING 60 years of competition in World Grand Prix events, Yamaha are marking the achievement by adorning three of their YZF models with an iconic colour scheme that pays tribute to company’s racing heritage.
The legendary red and white livery, complete with unique speed block pattern and yellow race plate motif, evokes the halcyon days of road racing when two-strokes ruled and heroes like Agostini, Roberts and Rainey risked life and limb in the quest for glory.
R-Series customers will soon have the opportunity to own a piece of history as the YZF-R3, new YZF-R7 and flagship YZF-R1 are all treated to the 60th Anniversary World Grand Prix livery for 2022.
The new look models mark a rich motor sport history that, for Yamaha, has been an essential part of its corporate culture from day one, and the company’s first entry into the top tier of road racing was at the French Grand Prix in 1961.
Success came quickly and Yamaha reacted by introducing its first race bike painted in white with red stripes in 1964. The design went on to become a traditional livery, and not just in road racing, but motocross too.
Then in the early 1970s, Yamaha actively bolstered its racing efforts in the United States, where Kenny Roberts and other American legends raced machines running a yellow background with a black chain block graphic.
Fast forward to 2021, and Yamaha’s Grand Prix 60th Anniversary YZR-M1 – the bike it campaigns in MotoGP – calls on the traditional white/red design of the 1980 YZR500 for inspiration. With the three new road bikes following suit.
Along with the World GP 60th Anniversary colour scheme, each WGP Anniversary model also includes gold wheels, gold forks, Yamaha factory race-bike gold tuning fork emblems, black levers and special commemorative badging on the airbox cover.
Special models aside, the entire super sports range gets a number of updates for 2022, with the standard edition Yamaha YZF-R3 available in an updated Midnight Black and Team Yamaha Blue colour option.
Its graphic detailing and accents are more closely aligned with the distinctive styling of the new 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7, including matte blue and cyan blue accents throughout. It also features a high-revving 321cc liquid-cooled inline twin-cylinder engine.
The standard edition Yamaha YZF-R1 also returns in a similar Team Yamaha Blue colour scheme, as well as Performance Black. The ultimate high performance sports bike boasts advanced MotoGP-derived electronics and a powerful cross-plane 998cc CP4 engine.
The ultra-high tech Yamaha R1M is back for 2022 too, now featuring a new colour design that further accentuates the full carbon fibre front fairing and aluminium fuel tank, with just a touch more blue added to the side fairing.
Yamaha’s new R7 range will be the first to hit Australian shores, sporting the special 60th anniversary livery, and due in December this year. The R1 will follow in January, while the R3 will arrive in April 2022.
The special edition 60th Anniversary livery will retail for $1,000 more than standard colour scheme pricing for each model. For further information, contact your local Yamaha dealer.
