The 10th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE

November 29, 2013

IWATA, November 29, 2013 - Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announces the holding of "The 10th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE" over the two days of November 30 and December 1, 2013 at the Sentul International Circuit (Overall length: approx. 3.96 km) in West Java, Indonesia. Yamaha Motor group company P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) will host the event. Launched in 2003, the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE is an event that aims to promote the sporty image of the Yamaha brand throughout the ASEAN region.

Scenes from the 9th YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE (held in the Philippines)

This is an international one-make championship competition to crown the No. 1 rider in the ASEAN region. Forty-one riders from the five participating countries of the Philippines, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia that have been chosen through national qualifiers in their respective countries, and three riders from Japan as special entries will compete in the event. The championship will be contested in two new classes: the ST Class using the "YZF-R15" street sports model and the MT Class using the "JUPITER Z1"* sporty underbone type model.
Additional events will include a "Yamaha Safe Riding Science (YSRS)" session open to 500 children interested in learning to ride safely, a circuit demo run by Jorge Lorenzo, a star rider of MotoGP, the premier class of world championship motorcycle road racing, a live concert by NOAH, the popular rock band that serves as Yamaha's brand ambassadors in Indonesia, and a demonstration of trial competition riding skills. These events aim to communicate the fun and potential of motorcycles to people of all ages, build Yamaha's sporty brand image, promote the popularization and development of motorcycle sports and contribute to youth development.

*"JUPITER Z1" is the model's Indonesian market name.

Objectives of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE

The ASEAN region represents the most important market for Yamaha Motor's motorcycle business, where major growth has been achieved through the early introduction of models equipped with automatic transmissions, fuel injection systems, etc. Among the reasons behind this success is Yamaha's sporty brand image, the sporty designs and performance of the products introduced and the active efforts across the region to promote the spread and development of sports. Since its launch in 2003, the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE motorcycle race event has become a prominent symbol of these efforts, along with the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP U-13 FOOTBALL tournaments. Also, by using production models as the base race machines for this event, we aim to fulfill its objectives of strengthening the brand image, widely popularizing the race among communities across the region, developing motorcycle sports and contributing to youth development.

Outline of the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE

This time, the championship will be competed in two classes: the new ST Class using the street sports model "YZF-R15" and the MT Class using the "JUPITER Z1"* sporty underbone type model. Each class will be competed in a two-heat race format with the final places being decided on the basis of total championship points for the two heats (2nd heat results used in case of a tie). A Team championship title will also be awarded to the country's team that has the highest total championship point score for all of its riders.
To ensure fairness, the races are competed using machines that have been set up under the same specifications and conditions, and the machines to be used by each team are chosen by a carefully executed lottery. Also, a minimum weight limit is set for all competitors. Awards of trophies and prize money are presented to the top five finishers in each of the two classes and another trophy is given to the country that wins the Team championship title.

Championship point allotment

The race machines

YZF-R15 (ST Class)

YZF-R15 The YZF-R15 is powered by a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, fuel-injected 150cc engine and reflects the same engineering ideals as our other "YZF-R" series models. It was launched on the Indian market in 2008 as a street sports model to bring new value by offering "the true joy of riding" to a market where the predominant role of a motorcycle is as a means of transportation. It features an exterior design with the same look of the 600cc and 1,000cc supersport models of the YZF-R series so popular in developed markets, sporty performance, a comfortable and enjoyable ride, ease of use in urban riding, and more.
Now used as a base race machine in the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE for the first time, the specifications of the engine, chassis, etc. have been modified for increased performance to meet the needs of this competition.

JUPITER Z1 (MT Class)

JUPITER Z1 This specially race-modified model for the MT Class takes the sporty underbone type JUPITER Z1 model's fuel-injected, 115cc engine and adds special kit parts to boost displacement to 130cc and more for added performance. The JUPITER Z1 was launched in Indonesia in July 2012 as one of the models meant to strengthen Yamaha Motor's product competitiveness, appeal and profitability in the ASEAN motorcycle market. It is fitted with fuel injection for excellent economy and features great performance with a smooth ride, good response and more. Together with the sporty and high-quality look and feel to the styling, it is one of the most popular models in the Indonesian market.
The race-modified version of the JUPITER Z1 used in this competition is the same version that a Yamaha rider won the 2013 championship title with in Indonesia's top race category, INDOPRIX. In race-loving Indonesia, this model is a leading symbol of the Yamaha brand's sporty image.

Events held jointly with the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE

YSRS for Kids

An activity focused primarily on the ASEAN region since 2005, the Yamaha Safe Riding Science (YSRS) program is run in coordination with schools, etc. in several countries based on concepts such as "safe riding is about awareness and communication" and "riding is a mental exercise and not about physical movement or operation." The YSRS curriculum uses a scientific approach to deliver these concepts to students and educate them about riding safety. One of these is the "YSRS for Kids" course that gives children an early opportunity to learn about skills for safer motorcycle riding using the Yamaha "PW50" bike for youths. This program is done in the hopes that it will inspire children to become safety-conscious motorcycle users themselves in the future. This time, 100 PW50s have been prepared to give 500 children the chance to take the course, in what will be the largest-scale YSRS for Kids event ever.

Jorge Lorenzo circuit demo run

Yamaha Factory Racing team rider Jorge Lorenzo, who competes in MotoGP, the premier class of world championship motorcycle road racing, will give a demo run of the circuit. Also, the first of a new type of Yamaha dealerships in Indonesia specializing in large-displacement sport bikes opened in Jakarta on November 22nd. From now on, Yamaha will continue to increase the number of dealerships selling these larger sport motorcycles and strengthen marketing efforts. For this YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE, owners of Yamaha's large sport bikes will be joining Lorenzo on the circuit run as an example of how Yamaha will be working to build customer loyalty and promote its lineup of sport bikes going forward.

NOAH live concert

The popular rock band NOAH that serves as Yamaha's brand ambassadors in Indonesia will perform live at the circuit.

Trial competition riding demonstration

A trial competition riding demonstration will be held to present the enjoyment of motorcycle competition as a spectator sport, the amazing potential of motorcycles and the fun that lies in skillfully controlling a motorcycle. A motorsport especially popular in Europe, trial riding is competed on courses that make use of natural elements such as rock outcroppings and steep slopes or artificial courses with similar obstacles. The competitors must use their riding skills to clear the obstacles without touching the ground with their feet or running outside of the course boundaries. This time, a demonstration of the amazing skills of trial riders will be given by 11-time All Japan Trial Champion Kenichi Kuroyama (Team Kuroyama Racing Yamaha) and another top Japanese rider, Fumitaka Nozaki (YSP Keiyou Racing).

Motorcycle and motorsports promotion by
Yamaha Motor group companies in the ASEAN region

Since the 1980s, Yamaha Motor group companies in the ASEAN region have been conducting activities aimed at building motorcycle culture, such as promoting the spread of motorcycle use, safety education and the popularization of motorsports. These efforts include the Yamaha Riding Academy (YRA) program that teaches riders better and safer riding skills and trains instructors for the courses, the YSRS program that teaches riding safety from a scientific perspective as a curriculum for schools, the YSRS for Kids program, and the YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE for promoting motorsports.
In their programs to promote the spread of motorsports, our group companies in each country have their eyes on its growing popularity in the ASEAN region. They have made big contributions to the growth in numbers and quality of race competitors by creating a comprehensive system in which the best riders emerging from the Yamaha Cup and other race series they organize and run go on to then compete for the title of No. 1 rider in the region at the international YAMAHA ASEAN CUP RACE. Also, using production models as the base models for the race machines in this competition helps to boost the sporty brand image as well as sales. Furthermore, group efforts to train and support the riders and manage the teams competing in each country's domestic championship and the FIM Asia Road Race Championship are helping to pave the way for talented ASEAN riders to pursue international racing careers. As a result, we are now seeing a growing number of riders striving to reach the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing - MotoGP