Yamaha entered the US GP at Daytona in 1961, a large-scale local race as a prelude to the Grand Prix World Championship season, only to place 5th and 8th in the 250cc class.

Yamaha enters its first Grand Prix World Championship race in 1961 with the 250cc RD48 and 125cc RA41 (pictured).

Fumio Ito on the RD56, Isle of Man TT 1963.

After the Daytona Race, Yamaha participated in the Isle of Man TT, the most prestigious event of its time. Winning this race had a great impact on the European market. Fumio Ito ended in a respectable 6th place in the 250cc class.

After gained experience and overcoming some difficulties, Yamaha re-entered the Grand Prix World Championship again in 1963 with the RD56, featuring a 250cc air-cooled in-line 2-cylinder engine mounted in a new featherbed frame. Fumio Ito won the Daytona GP Race and finished in 2nd place at the Isle of Man TT. And finally, Yamaha got its first Grand Prix World Championship win at the Belgium GP.

Breakthrough for Yamaha: Fumio Ito took Yamaha’s first GP victory at Spa-Francorchamps in 1963.

Phil Read taking his first victory at the French GP race 1964.

Phil Read and Mike Duff were contracted to form an all-new rider team with Fumio Ito for the 1964 Grand Prix World Championship in the 250cc class. Thanks to their performance Yamaha won its first Constructor title and Phil Read the Rider title.

In 1965 Phil Read and Mike Duff again brought Yamaha the Rider and Constructor titles. That year also saw the debut of the 250cc liquid-cooled, 70° V4-powered RD05 at the Nations GP in Monza, setting the platform for the next year. However, the competition also, of course, did not sit still and, Yamaha had to withdraw from the Grand Prix World Championship due to regulation changes.

In the 125cc Grand Prix World Championship class 1967, there was a major breakthrough for Yamaha. Building up with a GP win with the RA97 (rotary disc valve, in-line 2-cylinder engine liquid-cooled) at the Isle of Man TT in 1965. And in 1966, the momentum built as Yamaha rider Bill Ivy rode to four wins. In 1967, Yamaha won its first 125cc Grand Prix World Championship Rider title with Bill Ivy at the helm of the then newly introduced liquid-cooled V4 RA31.

Bill Ivy after a memorable victory at the 1966 Isle of Man TT.

Yamaha’s Racing Philosophy: Power isn’t Everything if the rider cannot handle it. Bill Ivy won the Grand Prix World Championship rider’s title in 1967.

Phil Read (#10) winning the Isle of Mann TT 1967. 

TD-1 at the inaugural All Japan Road Race Championship.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Yamaha developed the street-legal sports model YDS-2 and the TD-1 production racer which were targeted at enthusiasts who wanted to enter amateur races. The TD-1 became instantly popular and competitive on the track as well. And thanks to race regulations set by the Motorcycle Federation of Japan that only street-legal production models were allowed to compete, Yamaha decided to release the TD-1 as a fully street-legal model and made a TD-1A race-spec model – sold with racing kit parts already fitted – to contest various race competitions in Japan and abroad.

When the Japanese GP was added to the Grand Prix World Championship calendar in 1963 road racing became hugely popular overnight. Yamaha’s domination of the 1966 event really fortified its reputation as a racing company and a 2-stroke manufacturer. Yamaha not only won the six races in the 125cc, but 250cc and 350cc classes of both the Grand Prix World Championship and the All Japan Championship, almost all the podiums were also filled by Yamaha riders.

In the “motocross” area, things gradually developed. In 1963 Yamaha took part in the 8th All Japan Motocross Championship with the YG-1, YA-6, and YDS-2 production machines modified for off-road racing. In 1965, Yamaha started to develop its own dedicated motocross machine, the YX26. In 1967, the prototype of the YX26 had its debut in the 4th Motocross Japan GP. The model, a 2-stroke, 246.3cc, 5-port, single-cylinder piston valve induction engine in a slim chassis, won the Junior and Senior 250cc class races and received electrifying reviews from the press. One of the production models that was derived from the YX26 was the DT-1 that was a huge success in Japan and overseas. In addition to pioneering the new “trail bike” category of sport motorcycles, it made a major contribution to the spread of grassroots motocross competition. Based on the DT-1, Yamaha completed the YZ624 Factory machine and was then able to compete in all races of the All Japan Motocross Championship series in 1969. Yamaha riders Tadao Suzuki took the Senior 250cc title and Hideaki Suzuki the Junior 250cc title.

Yamaha rider Hideaki Suzuki on the DT-1, the world’s first off-road motorcycle.