It started with a dream. A dream that is shared by many, but achieved by few. Winning the Bennetts British Superbike Championship is no easy task, especially with the unique ‘Showdown’ format condensing the points towards the end of the year but OMG Racing’s Bradley Ray took it in his stride to take the Yamaha R1 to its first back-to-back title since 1998.  

And it was a dominant year for the R1 too, winning 20 of the 33 races in the hands of Ray, Jason O’Halloran, last year’s champion Tarran Mackenzie and Kyle Ryde.  

The Showdown format wasn’t kind to last year’s champions, with McAMS Yamaha and O’Halloran, who led the series at the mid-point after a dominant mid-season run of form, knocked off three times in the last nine races and Mackenzie sidelined after the first race of the Showdown with a broken femur.  

However, Ray carried the Yamaha flag in style – leading by 13 points going into the Showdown the Kent rider built up an astonishing championship lead to carry a 66 point advantage into the final round meaning he could win the championship with his fifth-placed finish.

“Going across the line in the last race to be officially crowned the champion was fantastic, it felt good to be able to do a few burnouts and celebrate properly!” Ray said, after concluding a tough weekend at Brands Hatch in the strongest possible way.  

“It’s always been my dream to try and fight for the championship, but I knew coming into this year we’d have the best package with the switch to Yamaha. The first half of our season was perfect, it got a bit more difficult going into the Showdown so we needed to try and stay as consistent as possible. I feel like we managed to make the best out of every situation at each track and we came to Brands with a 66 point lead which made things a bit easier.”  

Fifth, a DNF and sixth was all Ray could manage in the final round, but the race finishing positions were rendered irrelevant when it meant he secured the No. 1 – which he was given permission from Tarran Mackenzie to run in the final two races.  

“Brands Hatch was a difficult weekend for us but I feel like we’ve done enough over the season to prove we are worthy champions. Honestly, it’s been unbelievable and I’m so happy to lift the trophy for myself, my family, the team and all the supporters.”  

From his first ride on the R1 in Spain last December, it was clear to all of those involved that Ray would be a force to be reckoned with given his high corner speed style matched perfectly with the way in which the crossplane machine likes to be ridden. 

“The characteristics of the Yamaha all work so well, it’s very similar to the R6 which I loved riding. You can let the brakes off, run the speed through the corner and that’s very much my sort of riding style. The minute I first rode the bike I knew it would be a good year, we’ve done a lot of work through the year, progressing where we needed to and it’s all come together.  

“The R1 has been a good bike for me, it’s not been easy. Jason and Tarran have been on the bike for quite a few years and proved tough competition, but ultimately we got the job done. It’s probably going to take a few days to sink in, but it’s definitely a nice feeling to be #1 in 2022.”  

Yamaha Motor UK return to the UK’s biggest bike show in 2022 as Motorcycle Live prepares to open its doors at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre on Saturday 19th November.  

Motorcycle Live presents a brilliant opportunity to both see and experience all things Yamaha, so here’s a quick guide to what we’ve got on display over the show’s ten days.  

You can find Yamaha in Hall 3A (Stand 3D25).  

2023 Models
Motorcycle Live presents the first opportunity to see our 2023 metal, just over a week after it was officially uncovered at the EICMA show in Milan.  

Headlining our new models for 2023 is the innovative TRACER 9GT+, which introduces radar technology to our line-up for the first time with the impressive CP3-engined machine now featuring Adaptive Cruise Control and a seven-inch TFT screen.  

There’s also the new MT-07, Ténéré 700 and NIKEN GT, as well as updated versions of the XSR700, TRACER 7 and TRACER 7 GT, all new R125 and XMAX range.  

As well as the new models for 2023, you can also cast your eyes on and sit upon popular 2022 models such as the R7, XSR900 and Ténéré World Raid. 

It’s not just motorcycles either, we’ll have a display of our new-for-2023 eBikes too! 

Experience Adventure  
Yamaha returns to Experience Adventure for 2023 offering you the chance to ride our popular and highly-rated Ténéré 700 on a dedicated off-road course. These rides will be available on a first come-first served basis and can be booked at the Experience Adventure stand in Hall 4.  

You’ll also be able to meet the guys from the Yamaha Off Road Experience and Yamaha MX Experience, as well as view our entire Off Road Competition range.  

Ride Yamaha 
We will also have a number of models available for the official show ride-outs in the Test Ride Zone, including MT-10, MT-09, MT-07, XSR900, R7, TRACER 9 GT, TRACER 7 and Ténéré 700.  

Sign on takes place in the Test Ride Zone. Booth in the back corner of Hall 3A and bookings are on a first come first served basis.  

There will also be the opportunity to ride all-electric NEO’s in the Electric Test Ride zone – available to anyone who has a CBT or full licence.  

For those without a licence, we’ll also have an XSR125 on the MCIA TryRIDE Demo feature.  

Yamaha Motor for Riders  
By visiting the Yamaha stand, you’ll also be able to meet the guys from Two Wheels for Life, who are running a competition to run a race-equipped Ténéré World Raid, which has just finished the Africa Eco Rally in Dakar!   

Racing Exotica 
We’ll also have a selection of racing exotica on our stand including Fabio Quartararo’s 2021 championship-winning YZR-M1, plus Toprak Razgatlioglu’s 2021 title-winning R1 and the 2022 McAMS Yamaha British Superbike R1.   

Shop 
Our shop will once again be present with a full range of apparel and gifts – perfect for a bit of Christmas shopping for the Yamaha fan in your life! 

For more information on the official show features head to www.motorcyclelive.co.uk 

Harri Kullas celebrated title success this month as he flew to the MX1 championship and finished runner up in the REVO ACU British Motocross Championship aboard his Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha YZ450.  

The Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha team is Yamaha’s leading British Motocross effort, competing across all of Britain’s motocross championships including the MX Nationals and the Revo ACU British Motocross Championship. Ran under the Crescent banner, the team fields three riders, Sam Nunn in the MX2 class – riding the YZ250, whilst Dan Thornhill joins Estonian, and this seasons MX1 champion, Harri Kullas in the MX1 class aboard the YZ450 machines. 

Kullas came into the 2022 season having claimed the Michelin/Milwaukee MX Nationals Pro MX1 Championship in 2021, marking himself as a firm favourite to make it three British MX1 titles. 

With the championship spanning over six rounds with 12 adrenaline-filled race action, the 2022 season promised to be another sensational battle, as Kullas lined up toe-to-toe with the likes of Josh Gilbert, Martin Barr and Tommy Searle. 

The number 151 rider kicked off his campaign at Fat Cats Motoparc with a brace of second-place finishes, gifting him second overall with a weekend total of 44 points, leaving him trailing championship leader Gilbert by six points ahead of round two. 

The second round saw Kullas claim the title lead having taken overall victory at the Landrake circuit, coming away with a one-two scorecard. Kullas’ season continued to get better as he secured a double win at Lyng for an overall victory, and a third-place finish at the Cusses Gorse round. 

But all eyes were on the penultimate round as he and the Cab Screens team looked to seize the title. A strong opening race at Hawkstone rewarded him with 25 points, before doubling his total to secure an overall win and the 2022 British Pro MX1 championship. The 30-year-old then capped off his title-winning season with a second and a first to take the overall victory at the all-new Oxford Moto Parc, bringing this year’s MX Nationals action to a close. 

“This season has been really good” Kullas started as he spoke fresh from his win at Oxford. “We were fighting at the front every weekend, which was great and I’m happy to have ended the year as MX1 champion and to end the year fit and healthy. It was mega to secure the title with one round to go which meant, coming into a brand-new circuit, there was no pressure to get the job done! 

“Now we need to focus on the last round of the Revo ACU British Motocross championship. I’m behind by 15 points and will give it my all to try and win that championship too.” 

Harri Kullas and the Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha Team’s 2022 British campaign continued to deliver as he stormed to second in the REVO ACU British MX Championship. Arriving at the final round 15 points adrift of championship leader Tommy Searle, all the Estonian had to do to give him a chance of the title was win, and win he did. Sadly, for the #151 rider, it still wasn’t enough and wrapped up the season second in the overall standings, capping a successful 2022 season for the formidable partnership.  

We’re looking forward to seeing what 2023 has to offer for Kullas and the rest of the Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha MX team.  

In the first ever running of the Dakar Rally in 1979, there were no separate categories for bikes and cars. The whole race was run together, so when riders Cyril Neveu and Gilles Comte stormed to a dominant 1-2 victory, out running the numerous Range Rovers, Renaults and other off-road cars, Yamaha showed the world that a motorcycle is the ultimate off-road machine.  

After dominating the first two years of the event with the XT500, Yamaha were forced to up their game after BMW came to the fore with a factory team and as a result of that, the XT600 Ténéré was born. The bike boasted a 600cc engine, a 30-litre fuel tank and was the first off-road Yamaha motorcycle to feature a disc brake on the front and to put it simply, it was a game changer.  

It wasn’t just the birth of the Ténéré name, the XT600 and its successors proved so popular that a new motorcycling culture was established and the adventure category was born.  

40 years on from the launch of the XT600, Yamaha lifted the covers off the latest machine to carry the Ténéré name – the Ténéré 700 World Raid. Featuring large capacity 23-litre dual fuel tanks offering a range of 300 miles and longer travel suspension, the idea of the World Raid was to create an adventure bike that could take the rider further than ever.  

The high specification 43mm KYB front forks with 230mm travel, plus an adjustable Ohlins steering damper and an aluminium rear shock with longer 220mm travel make the World Raid even more capable for tacking the toughest of terrains. When journalists tested the Ténéré 700 World Raid back to back with the standard Ténéré at the recent launch of the Yamaha Off Road Experience Centre – all said that while the standard machine was more than capable off road, the World Raid took things to the next level.  

But just how capable is the World Raid off road? We’d already seen it tackle some pretty challenging terrain at YORE’s stunning centre in mid-Wales. But to push the bike further to its limits, we decided we wanted to do something a little crazier.  

So, we headed to Cusses Gorse Motocross track with the World Raid and handed it to semi pro-MX racer Rob Hollyoake to see what he could do.  

Now, we’re aware that no Ténéré World Raid owner would ever want to take World Raid to a MX track, but the idea was to explore just what was possible on the World Raid by pushing it to its limits.  

The only thing we changed on the bike was the tyres, fitting a set of Dunlop D908RRs for a bit of extra grip on the hard-pack track. We also stiffened up the adjustable front forks and rear shock and removed the mirrors, but other than that, the bike was left untouched.  

At 220kg wet, World Raid isn’t quite as light as the YZ125 Rob is used to riding, but he instantly gels with the bike. One small drop as he gets used to the weight, but other than that he looks a natural from his first laps.  

We experiment with turning the ABS on and off, on the World Raid you can have both front and rear off, or just rear. Naturally we found it better with the ABS fully off.  

We found that the World Raid could tackle most of the track, there were some jumps with tricker landings we avoided, but Rob reckoned all we’d need to change that would be some stiffer, MX-style forks – showing just how balanced a package the World Raid is.  

In the interests of a story, we put the World Raid up against Cab Screens Crescent British MX1 rider Dan Thornhill on his YZ450F. Remarkably, the World Raid was only 24 seconds behind the MX bike over a two-minute lap.  

We knew it wouldn’t be a competition, but we were intrigued by just how close he could get. This just goes to show what a nimble, manoeuvrable package the World Raid offers and if it can cope with the deep, muddy terrain on an MX track, then we’re fairly sure it could tackle pretty much any terrain in the world. No wonder Yamaha Racing have decided to enter it into a number of Rally Raids around the world…  

“When I was in hospital in 1993, something that kept me motivated to get up every morning was the thought of riding my GP bike again. Over time, reality sunk in and the idea of riding a motorcycle faded away as I got used to my new life.”  

It was a stark reality, but one that three-time 500cc Grand Prix Champion Wayne Rainey had to face after a career-ending crash at Misano left him paralysed from the chest down.  

However, almost 30 years later, now aged 61, that thought, which was once a dream, became reality as Rainey threw a leg over his 1992 championship-winning YZR500 and rode it up the iconic Goodwood Hillclimb. 

The historic moment was over three years in the making, an idea spawned by the Duke of Richmond, owner of the Goodwood Estate, following Rainey riding a bike for the first time since his crash when he took to the Suzuka circuit aboard a modified Yamaha R1.  

The global pandemic and scheduling issues meant it wouldn’t be possible in 2020 or 2021, but the stars aligned for 2022, in a fitting way that would see Rainey jump aboard the bike on which he won his final world title exactly three decades later.  

Since that title success in 1992, the YZR500 had sat in the Yamaha museum in Japan. So when Rainey called Grand Prix boss Lin Jarvis to see if it would be possible to ride it, initially the answer wasn’t looking good. However, when Yamaha Motor Company technicians took the bike out of the museum to see what work would need doing, they actually found, despite having sat dormant for 30 years, there was less work required than they had thought.  

Once the bike was running, they turned their attention to adapting it so Rainey could ride it. When he’d ridden the R1 at Suzuka – things were relatively simple, in the age of rider aids and electronics, moving gear controls to the handlebars is relatively straightforward. On a 30 year old two stroke 500cc GP bike, the matter is a little more complex. Nevertheless, with a bit of work they made it happen. Rainey would be able to go up through the gears by hitting the kill switch and backshift by pulling in the clutch. They swapped the foot pegs for road bicycle pedals which he could clip his feet into, added some padding to the tank so he could lean over it and fashioned a way for him to be strapped on to the bike. All he’d need was some bodies to hold and push him off, and catch him at the other end.  

Instead of riding the bike for the very first time in front of a crowded Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Duke of Richmond organised for Rainey to have a private test ahead of the event.  

“When racing a Grand Prix bike in the two stroke era, the riders always rode with their fingers covering the clutch in case the engine seized, so when I rode it for the first time it was a really challenge to keep my fingers off the clutch as that was now how I’d be changing down a gear!” Rainey said.  

“I was probably more nervous about riding this bike here than any other time in my career. The biggest challenge for me was getting the bike to initially set off, I don’t have a great sense of balance so the bike needed to be moving. The first time I took off I almost dropped it because I wasn’t going fast enough, but once I figured out I had to be on the throttle right away and I was rolling, the bike was so smooth, the way it sounded, the way I felt, it was like an old friend.”  

Each time Rainey rode up Goodwood’s famous hill, there was rapturous applause from the bustling crowds. Many a motorcycle fan had a tear in their eye, reminiscing of the good old two stroke days.  

Rainey riding again was a historic moment in itself, but it was made even more poignant by the fact that he was joined by former Grand Prix rivals including the man he fought with so fiercely in the early 90s, Kevin Schwantz. Mick Doohan was also on track with the duo, as well as Kenny Roberts Senior, who had been Rainey’s team manager in the Marlboro Yamaha Team Roberts days. When interviewed by the Goodwood commentators, Roberts said “Wayne is the reason I am here. He’s never ridden a Grand Prix bike without me by his side, so I wouldn’t have missed this for the world”.  

Nobody appreciated that more than Rainey himself. “Having Kenny here and Kevin and Mick is really special. That was something I thought I knew would never happen again. I never thought I’d be on the track with those guys.  
 
“They let me set off in front of them, and along the track there are big screen TVs and I look up and I can see Kenny, and Mick and Kevin riding alongside me. They are right there and when I look at it reminds me of when we’d be on the grid together. I really appreciate them wanting to come here and do this with me 30 years down the road. It’s a complete fantasy.”  

The reaction from the fans was huge, it was easily the biggest story of this year’s Festival of Speed and Rainey felt hugely appreciated.  

“I’m glad the fans haven’t forgotten, it was such a long time ago, and it’s so nice to have done this with Yamaha, who I won my world championships with. I’ve had such a long relationship with them and still even now, they support us with the MotoAmerica championship. It was a big risk for them to take a 30-year-old bike, that had been sat doing nothing, and put me on it, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this opportunity. Dreams do come true.”  

Nick Sanders is a prolific world traveller who has circumnavigated the globe eight times. In 2019, he set off on his latest round the world mission on Yamaha’s new Ténéré 700. At the time, he didn’t realise, the global pandemic would make it his longest circumnavigation yet.  

Finally completing the trip in May 2022, we caught up with Nick to chat about the experience.  

Nick, how did this idea come about?
The round-the-world project was something I discussed with Yamaha Motor Europe at the EICMA show in Italy and straight away they agreed it was a great idea. How could it not be a great idea? Going around the world is the biggest test for a bike and we decided to do it! 

Where did your journey begin? 
We transported the bike from London over to New York and set off in November 2019. So, this was pre-covid. I’d heard about Covid but had no idea what was happening. 

I remember riding across the US in the rain. Making my way over to Big Sur and Highway One, then started heading South. I crossed Mexico and went down the Baja Peninsula. This is where you’re hitting central America and countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa-Rica, El-Salvador and Panama. 

I flew over the Darien Gap in Panama and ended up in Bogota. I then continued through Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.  

This part of the journey was so enjoyable. Crossing the Andes several times back and forth from Chile into Argentina, and then down into Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia, which is the Southern-most city in the world. I’ve been to Ushuaia eight times! Reaching the southernmost point, I made my way back up to Santiago. 

At that point, I still hadn’t received any signals about Covid, so we flew to Sydney thinking we could carry on!  

We got the bike through customs and on the very first day I set off across Australia, I got a call saying the Northern Territories were closed. By the time I had worked out an alternative route around Australia, everything else started closing and collapsing around me. A major emergency was declared, and I had to return to Sydney and scramble for the last plane back to the UK.  

What we didn’t think was ever going to happen – happened. 

What was the scale of the impact Covid had on the project? 
It was a two-year gap which was a long time. I also needed a budget to complete the project and there were huge supply-chain issues with all the big corporations, so I thought the journey was in peril. 

However, I kept myself busy while I waited for the nod to continue my round-the-world adventure. This included riding a Ténéré around the coast of Britain, and I also rode along the 1,600-mile Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. But all the while, I was waiting, and then covid finally started dissipating. 

Straight away, Yamaha gave me the okay to continue and when Australia opened on the 22nd of February, I flew out the very next day. Within six hours of landing, I was riding! 

So, after two years, it was finally time to complete your journey. Where did you start in Australia? 
I remember turning up at Yamaha in Sydney and everything about the bike was exactly how I left it. Obviously, the team at Yamaha had done some checks, but all my baggage was in the same place strapped to the bike! It felt great to get reacquainted. 

Australia is great. It’s one of my favourite countries and it has everything. It has all the extreme stuff you need for an around-the-world adventure. Deserts, mountains, long roads, isolation, loneliness. All the things that bikers have got to endure to go around the world. 

I set off from Sydney down through Victoria and along the 243km long Great Ocean Highway. Then from Adelaide, I headed north up the famous Oodnadatta Track and the Outback which is essentially a dirt track and exactly what we wanted to see the Ténéré 700 do. 

There are many riders who will vouch that you can do anything on the Ténéré 700, like go up and down sand dunes! But I think everyday bikers ultimately want to see an ordinary guy, like me, just riding somewhere different! 

There were lots of places in the outback which could slam dunk you into the ground, but the Ténéré 700 handled the dirt well. I headed up to Alice Springs and then South across the Nullarbor Plain towards my final stop in Perth. 

What was your next stop after Australia? 
My next stop was India, which turned out to be a bit of a problem. For the rest of the 166 countries around the world, getting into India is straightforward and instant with an E-Visa. However, because of Brexit, Britain isn’t one of them!  

After a ten-day delay to get my visa and facing another six-week delay to get the bike into the country, I decided to change course entirely. I investigated travelling across the Middle East which I’d never done before. I got my visa for Saudi Arabia knowing this new direction was decided on a whim, but I had no other choice. 

I headed out of Dubai into Oman, which is an absolute pearl of a country situated on the Arabian Peninsula. It was funny because it felt like local people in Saudi had never seen someone like me come into the country. 

I did the big cities but was eager to travel the roads which had only been done by a handful of people, and it was a different world entirely. This part of Saudi isn’t the richest part of the country, but I remember being in a supermarket to buy some milk and the guy in front just paid for it! Honestly, the hospitality of the Saudi locals was extremely wonderful. The people of Saudi Arabia make the country for me. They’re all beautiful.  

After Saudi, I crossed into Jordan and captured some beautiful shots of the landscape and the bike.  

What’s your filming strategy when you go into a new country like this? 
While I’m filming, I’m always wondering, where’s the story for the day? 

I’m an Instagrammer, so all my stories are condensed into 59 seconds! At first, the highlights might not be obvious, but it’s only when you stop and talk to a shepherd, for example, and find out about his life. Right there, you have your story. 

I never got those stories while riding 1,000 miles a day around the world on an R1. You get your stories when you slow down and stop. I realise this now. 

Where did you head to after Jordan? 
So, Jordan and into Israel and I got lost near the outskirts of Jerusalem because the territorial boundaries there are not clear. By luck, I found myself wandering into Palestine and it was wonderful.  

I was talking to a guy on the side of the road who was selling oranges, and suddenly, I was lost in a huge traffic jam in what was considered a difficult part of Palestine. This orange seller says to me; “While you’re with me, you’re completely safe.” He was such a nice guy, despite just coming out of prison after five years for chucking rocks at the Israelis! 

Where did you head to after Israel? 
From Haifa, I caught a boat to Greece and carried on across the final leg of my adventure through Europe which I know so well. 

What is your favourite country or moment? 
Crossing the Andes was great. I crossed it five times during this trip, and it wasn’t just a linear route where we just travelled in a straight line.  

Patagonia is just wonderful. When you go down the Magellan Strait you enter a historical theatre. Every round-the-world traveller would have used the Magellan Strait in their own adventures, creating and naming these countries. It’s a privilege to be a part of that historical procession of world travellers that go to places that have already been found. 

El Salvador was also great. It used to be quite a dangerous country, but it didn’t affect me. 

Every time I travel to faraway places, it always feels the same. The fields, the fences, the roads. But, as soon as you switch off the engine and listen to the sounds, it’s like being in an alternate reality. It’s not the same at all. 

The trip overall highlighted riding the Ténéré 700. You’re riding and suddenly you’re in a desert get that wow feeling. I think every motorcyclist gets this of course because we’re nature lovers! We like looking at the scenery, stopping and smelling the flowers. That’s why we ride our bikes. We are geographical travellers and I’ve not met a motorcyclist who doesn’t like looking around. 

Did you have any dramas or sticky situations during your trip? 
I consider myself almost a boring traveller because I’ve reached a point where, after eight times around the world and one million kilometres, I’ve gotten better at it. So, I can sense and smell difficult situations that might come up and do my best to avoid them. Nothing dramatic happens to me because I avoid it!  

Things do crop up though. I didn’t know how to handle a bike in the sand, for example, but I learnt how to tip the bike over and wiggle it free to carry on! For a lot of people, this would have been a problem but when you’re on your own, you just deal with it. 

How did you find the Ténéré 700? 
It’s a Yamaha. I changed the oil once!  

In the old days, you had to check the spark plugs, clean out the sump, check the points, and at the time, that was part of the fabric of the story. Half the journey was keeping the bike going. But it’s not like that now. 

Yamaha is the leading range of machinery that you can rely on. I’ve been on Yamahas for 20 years, so I know what I’m talking about!  

Yamahas don’t break down, and I can testify to that because, on my trips, they haven’t broken down. What this allows you to do is focus on the job at hand so I know the bike is going to get through the day and start up in the morning. What a bike! What a precision tool that lets me time travel all across the world! 

Having completed the last leg of his trip, Nick finally made it back home in May 2022. He travelled over 34,000 miles on board his Ténéré 700, across five continents and through countless countries. He weathered the storm of Covid and managed to complete his mission.