YAMAHA ASEAN CUP 2006 Qualifying riders from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand compete for the title of "No. 1 ASEAN Rider"

*Photos show 2005 ASEAN CUP in Thailand

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) will hold the "Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006" championship competition over the three days from Dec. 15 to 17 at the Pekan Raya Jakarta Circuit (Indonesia / overall length: 1,200 m). Now in its fourth holding, the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is an international one-make (*) championship competition using Yamaha's 4-stroke sporty moped model ridden by riders who have qualified by winning tough national competitions to compete in this event for the right to be called the fastest in the ASEAN region. In the first holding of this competition in Indonesia in 2003, the competing riders were from the three countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In the second holding in 2004, two more countries joined the competition, the Philippines and Singapore. With this, riders from five countries competed for the championship titles. In this fourth holding this year, there will once again be riders from these five countries competing in two classes, an Expert Class and a Novice Class.

Amidst recent market conditions here in the ASEAN region where the interest in motor sports is growing and the number of young people pursuing active lifestyles is increasing, YMC has been promoting a wide range of activities aimed at (1) strengthening the image of Yamaha as a sporty brand and (2) promoting the development and spread of motorcycle sports in the ASEAN region. YMC considers the Yamaha ASEAN Cup to be a very important event that has special symbolic meaning among these.
As the hosts of this year's event, P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) and P.T. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia (YMKI) will take charge of the race operations. The models to be used in this competition are Yamaha's top-of-the-line 4-stroke moped T135 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter MX135) for the Expert Class and the region's popular 4-stroke sporty moped T110 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter Z) for the Novice Class.

* A one-make race is a type of race competition in which all the competitors use the same make.

For Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC), the ASEAN region represents not only one of the fastest growing and developing motorcycle markets in the world but also the location of important manufacturing bases in Yamaha's global production network. For these reasons, the ASEAN market is an extremely important one to YMC and we are engaged in aggressive marketing activities aimed at its development. Among these, Yamaha places special importance on race activities, which have always been an important part of our corporate culture since the company's founding and a way of expressing the "Spirit of Challenge" that we value so highly. In the ASEAN region this Yamaha ASEAN Cup is an important symbol of the various activities we are engaged in, and we feel that it plays a critical role in promoting our brand strategy.
On the other hand, the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is more than simply a platform for brand communication. It is also a proving ground where riders and mechanics from across the region can come together and polish their skills in high-level competition, and strive for the next step up the ladder of success that leads eventually to the World GP of road racing. Yamaha plans to continue this competition long-term so that it will be a valuable primary step for supporting riders and teams that strive for international success in racing, carrying with them the dreams and hopes of the ASEAN region's motor sport fans.
One of the big themes of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is to share Kando (*) with the participating riders and team staff as well as the many spectators who come throughout the race week in ways that communicate Yamaha's corporate mission of "We Create Kando." During the race week there will be events like parties where the riders from the participating countries can meet in a friendly atmosphere, and there will also be an array of attractions and events to ensure that there is plenty of hospitality for the spectators.

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feeling of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that people experience when they encounter something of exceptional value.

Since the 1980s, Yamaha Motor Company has undertaken a variety of activities aimed at the spread and development of motor sports in the ASEAN region. These include active promotion of activities aimed at building the race population and raising the level of competition, such as support for national championship competitions and Yamaha Cup races in each country, holding of Yamaha "Racing Academy" programs aimed at improving rider skills as well as training riding instructors.
Continued promotion of these activities has led to a rapid rise in the level of competition in each country and stimulated the riders to strive to new heights. Among these are a number of riders who are striving to compete in the Yamaha ASEAN Cup by qualifying in local Yamaha Cup races and national championships, while some also set their sights on the FIM Asian Championships. Within this context, Yamaha is supplementing its existing support efforts with a "Yamaha Rider Training Program" since last year to nurture talented young riders and help them reach a higher competitive level.
This program is a support system for Yamaha ASEAN Cup winners who satisfy conditions laid down by Yamaha Motor (including age limits and support requirements specific to each country). The support includes instruction, lending of race machines, supply of kit parts and training of mechanics, etc., all with the aim of having the riders participate in the FIM Asian Championships, the All-Japan Championships and perhaps eventually the World GP.
Under this program, last year's Yamaha ASEAN Cup Expert Class winner took part this August with YMC support in the 3rd round of the Asian Championships held in Malaysia, riding the YZF-R6 in the Supersport Class on a spot entry basis.

T135 (the Expert Class race machine)
The machine to be used in the Expert Class of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006 is the T135.
This T135 is Yamaha's next-generation deluxe moped model that was unveiled in the autumn of 2005. Developed around a concept of a "Performal Moped" that brings together "performance and formal" product aspects, this model is Yamaha's flagship in the moped category with its attractive fusion of high performance and fashionable styling. It mounts a liquid-cooled 4-stroke 135cc engine on a diamond type frame and boasts state-of-the-art Yamaha technologies like the DiASil cylinder and lightweight aluminum forged piston. This model has quality that is one rank above the rest in everything from its quality exterior look to its sporty running performance and environmental friendliness.
Yamaha believes that giving the Expert Class riders experience using the high-performance T135 will help improve their racing skills and for this reason, local 135cc class races have been organized in each of the participating countries. It is also why we have chosen to use the T135 as race machine for the Expert Class of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006, as an event for riders from the ASEAN countries who hope to move up to world-class racing.
As a promotional event for this model, Yamaha organized the "Pan-ASEAN Touring" event that enabled selected riders from six ASEAN countries to tour with the T135 though parts of a 14,310km tour through six ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines) that began in November of 2005 and ended in May of 2006. In each of the regions the tour visited, they were able to make a successful appeal for the benefits and joys of owning a moped that is one rank above the rest. The results of this promotion contributed to strong sales of the T135 in the six countries since November 2005.

T110 (the Novice Class race machine)
The machine to be used in the Novice Class of Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006 is the same 4-stroke engine Yamaha sporty moped T110 used in the last three Yamaha ASEAN Cup events. The T110 has been widely popular across the ASEAN region in markets like the host country Indonesia since its release in 2002. Taking as its base the T105 model that stimulated the ASEAN moped market with its 2001 release, the T110 was redesigned to create a new standard for the 4-stroke moped category by achieving a great balance of performance, economy and convenience, while also boasting a sporty exterior design.
This T110 was chosen again as the competition model for the Novice Class of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup because it is familiar and well used throughout the ASEAN region and has a strong record of use in racing.

On race day, the teams from each country will decorate their T135 and T110 models with their own original graphics and compete or the title of No.1 in the ASEAN region.

The Yamaha ASEAN Cup is competed in two classes, the Novice Class and Expert Class, with each class competed in a two-heat race format and the final places being decided on the basis of total championship points for the two heats. The races are competed using machines that have been set up to the same specifications and conditions, and the machines to be used by each team are chosen by means of a fair lottery drawing. Awards of trophies and prize money are given to the top five point finishers in each of the two classes (Novice and Expert) and another trophy is given to the country whose riders score the highest total number of points.

Championship point allotment

Norifumi (Norick) Abe Yamaha Motor France

Norifumi (Norick) Abe, who competed this season in the World Superbike Championship (WSB) for the Yamaha Motor France team, will make an appearance as the Yamaha ASEAN Cup's guest rider. He has made appearances as guest rider every year since the first holding in Indonesia in 2003. After beginning mini-bike racing at the age of 13, Abe rose rapidly to enter his first road racing World GP race six years later in 1994. Since then he has remained one of the world's top riders with many fans in Asia and Europe as well. From the 2005 season he moved to WSB.

Ever since the company's founding in 1955, the Spirit of Challenge has been an important element of Yamaha Motor's corporate culture. Perhaps nothing expresses this spirit more clearly than the company's race activities over the years, in which Yamaha was able to win many race titles, including the championship titles in the pinnacle MotoGP class of road racing and the World Motocross GP.
In 2006, Yamaha rider Stefan Everts won his 101st World Motocross GP career win and his 10th GP title and in doing so he helped bring Yamaha's YZ450FM its third consecutive MX1 class title. In MotoGP, Valentino Rossi fell just short of winning yet another championship title on the Yamaha YZR-M1 but still succeeded in thrilling the fans be being in contention for the title right down until the final race.

As a way of showing our appreciation for the support that so many motor sport fans and Yamaha fans in Indonesia and the other countries of the ASEAN region, a "Yamaha Museum" has been set up at the Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006 venue. This Yamaha Museum will present rarely seen items like the YZR-M1 (V. Rossi spec) used by Valentino Rossi in the MotoGP series and his racing gear. Visitors will also see some of the large-displacement sport bikes that are popular among riders in Europe and North America, and also other interesting models like the T135 used in the six-month long "Pan-ASEAN Touring" event. There will also be exciting videos of racing and other riding scenes playing constantly.

Reference

From the Yamaha ASEAN Cup to the World
Example of Motor Sports Support by YMC for the 2005 YAMAHA ASEAN CUP winning team
Yamaha Thai Team FIM Asia Road Racing Championship
SuperSport 600cc class spot entry

The team works together to master setting up a new racer they have never worked with before

The Thai Team won a front row spot in their first spot entry

Kraisart proved the Thai Team's potential racing against the best in Asia by finishing 5th in the second heat of the finals. "I regret dropping out of heat one but I am satisfied with how I raced. This was a great experience and I am thankful for it," he said with a satisfied smile.

As part of our efforts to promote motor sports culture in the ASEAN region, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) is involved in programs aimed at expanding the racer population and elevating the competitive level of races. One of these programs is an education and support system available to winners of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup. Under this program, the winner of the Expert Class of last year's Yamaha ASEAN Cup, Mr. Decha Kraisart and his Yamaha Thai Team were able to participate on a spot entry basis in the SuperSport 600cc class of round three of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship last August 13th riding the Yamaha YZF-R6.
Prior to the event, the Yamaha Thai Team joined the Yamaha Racing Academy events held at Malaysia's Johor Circuit (March) and Sepang Circuit (August). At these events, the team received special instruction in setting up the YZF-R6 machine prepared for them by YMC and using it in circuit race training. At first, Kraisart had some difficulty in getting used to the R6 machine, which is so different from the underbone mopeds he had been racing until then, but soon he began showing his inherent racer potential as the ASEAN Cup champion. After several practice laps he was beginning to record lap times close to those of the regular Asia Championship participants.
Finally, when he had his chance to ride in the qualifying sessions for the Asia Championship round three, he raced to a qualifying time of 1 min. 9.487 sec., just 0.628 sec. behind the fastest qualifier, thus winning himself a staring position of 4th on the front row for the final races. In the 2-heat finals, he unfortunately had to drop out of the first heat on lap four, but in the second heat he managed to better his best lap time with a 1 min. 8.908 sec. lap and finish the race in 5th position, only 8.715 sec. behind the winner. It was a fantastic result for his first SuperSport class race ever!
Afterwards, his team manager commented: "This spot entry was a fabulous opportunity. We were able to gain important experience about how to work up to a final race. And I am very satisfied with the fact that we were able to get lap times on par with the other teams on our very first attempt. Now I want to use this experience to show everyone an improved Thai Team at the Yamaha ASEAN Cup competition."
He went on to say: "We also want to use this experience in our Yamaha Cup competition and racing clinics. Now we have learned that if we do well in the Yamaha Cup races and get a chance to compete in the Yamaha ASEAN Cup and do well there, that will open up new opportunities for the future. That experience is sure to be a big motivation for other teams competing in the Yamaha Cup races as well. And, for the customers participating in our racing clinics, it will be inspiring and satisfying to know that their instructors have participated in the Asian Championships."
Although plans are not yet finalized, the Yamaha Thai Team is now considering new activities like full participation in the Asian Championships and introducing a training program using SuperSport race machines. Thanks to the Yamaha ASEAN Cup, they have already taken one big step closer to competing on the world-class level.