Motorsports have been an essential part of Yamaha Motor’s corporate culture since our founding. The first time a Yamaha motorcycle competed in earnest happened 10 days after the company was established, at the third Mount Fuji Ascent Race on July 10, 1955.
We considered motorsports to be a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the strengths of our products to the public. We sent the newly released YA-1 to the track and took a dominating victory in our racing debut, making a major step forward as a motorcycle manufacturer.
In time, we took the words of our founder, Genichi Kawakami, to heart, calling on our Spirit of Challenge to drive us to take on the world.
