History
WTGP has been held since 2002 as a chance for Certified Yamaha Technicians to stake their pride on competition. Here we look back on the history of the event.
The first international mechanic contest was held, with nearly 3,000 participants.
2,911 Yamaha certified technicians from 14 countries participated in the 1st WTGP. 17 participants from 11 countries who made it through the qualifying rounds went on to test their service technical skills against one another. In the end, Beat Burkhalter from Switzerland won honor and prestige as the very first champion.2002
The 2nd competition was held on a much larger scale, with nearly 5,000 qualifying participants.
The 2nd WTGP was held on a grander scale, with 4,831 participants from 20 countries competing. Richard Hair, a technician from Australia who just happened to be competing on his birthday, beat 19 other competitors to win the finals. He credited his success to 22 years of work experience.2003
New events were added, taking the competition to a higher level.
Yamaha celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. A new check by road test was added to the finals, making for a more practical competition. Haruki Hamasaki from Japan won the finals, which were held over the course of 2 days, making him the first champion from Asia.2005
Two new categories were established, and regional characteristics became clear.
In the 4th WTGP, two categories were established: one for sports models and another for commuter/business models. In the sports model class, Massimiliano Cordeschi from Italy and other Western participants dominated the winner’s podium, while in the commuter/business model class, Dewa Putu Gunawirawan from Indonesia ranked first among the Asian participants that dominated the winner’s podium. These results reflected the market characteristics of their respective regions.2007
The 5th WTGP marked the first time the competition was held in five years.
The 5th WTGP was held in Communication Plaza at the Yamaha corporate headquarters, with the event theme of F.I. (fuel injection), the emerging mainstream even in scooters. 28 participants from 20 countries battled to the finish of the finals, which were watched by an audience of many Yamaha employees. In the sports model class, Thorsten Brand from Germany took first place, while Le Truong Qui Tu from Vietnam won first place in the commuter/business model class.2012
Events closer to the customer’s perspective, based on our principle of “TCS”
With the 6th WTGP, we added practical events like what technicians would encounter in stores, by incorporating the element of “time commitment service” (TCS), which Yamaha strives to offer company wide. Participants competed to test their service technical skills in events including “reception, repairs, and delivery”. Tomas Candela Sanchez from Spain won first place in the sports model class, an achievement he had dreamed of for the past 4 years. Meenakshi Sundaram Subramanian from India won first place in the commuter model class, thanks to encouragement from his friends and family.2014
21 countries competed in the final, making the greatest number so far
The 7th WTGP finals brought together participants selected from 21 countries and regions, the greatest number ever. They competed for the top spot among Yamaha certified technicians, who numbered more than 33,000 worldwide at the time. Ryohei Samejima from Japan took the top spot in the sports model class. His coworkers closed their store for the competition so they could see him win honor in person. Jignesh Girishkumar Rana from India won first place in the commuter class, and he also made it to the competition with support from those who knew him. This marked the first time that a participant from the same country won first place in consecutive competitions.2016
Integrating carefully honed skills and high tech diagnostics
At the 8th WTGP, one major factor was the ability to properly use YDT (Yamaha Diagnostic Tool), a special tool for diagnosing malfunctioning parts using a computer. In this high level battle of knowledge and skill, Brett TR Hart from Canada brought glory to technicians in his country for the first time in the sports model class. Wu Chang Wei from Taiwan won first place in the commuter class, realizing the dream of his father, who had sadly ended in second place before. They demonstrated Yamaha service technology, which continues to evolve year by year.2018
