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Yamaha press releases on our motor sports racing activities


2007 QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship Series Round 3
Yamaha Teams Competing in the 30th "Coca Cola ZERO・Suzuka 8 hours World Endurance Championship Race
Jun. 29, 2007

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announces the top team it will be supporting for the coming "Coca Cola ZERO・Suzuka 8 hours World Endurance Championship Race (Suzuka 8-hour), round 3 of the 2007 QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship Series to be held on July 29 (Sun.) at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Pref. The team痴 name is YAMAHA RACING and it will enter two machines (#21/#81).
Machine #21 will sport the colors of the 添SP Racing Team sponsored by PRESTO Corporation・and will be ridden by Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Nobuyuki Osaki. Machine #81 will sport the colors of the 添痴 Gear Racing・team and will be ridden by Norifumi (Norick) Abe and Jamie Stauffer (Australia). The machine colors and graphics will be familiar to the fans as the same ones on the machines ridden by Nakasuga and Abe respectively in the 2007 All Japan Championships. The class they will enter is the JSB1000 class and the machine is the 2007 YZF-R1.
Nakasuga is a rapidly rising rider who recently scored his first JSB win in round 4 of the All Japan Road Race Championships. And in June he also ran all 52 laps of the 8-hour warm-up, the Suzuka 300km Endurance Race, to scored a podium finish in 3rd.
He first participated as an alternate rider in the 2005 Suzuka 8-hour and actually competed in the race for the first time in 2006, only to be forced to retire from the race due to machine trouble. This year he will be looking to prove himself and win in his second attempt at the Suzuka 8-hour. His partner, Osaki, is presently competing in the JSB class of the All Japan Championships and has competed in the Suzuka 8-hour for four consecutive years.
Abe is the veteran GP rider with a career record of three GP500 wins and has also competed in WSB. This season he has returned to the All Japan Championships for the first time in 13 years, riding in the JSB1000 class for the Y痴 Gear Racing team. This will be Abe痴 first entry in the Suzuka 8-hour. In the previously mentioned Suzuka 300km Endurance Race in June he ran with the leaders through mid-race, encouraging hopes that he will be in position to win the 8-hour in his first attempt.
Abe痴 teammate Stauffer is the 2006 champion of the Superbike and Supersport classes of the Australian Championships competing on a YZF-R1 and YZF-R6. He is now the point leader in the same Australian Superbike class in the 2007 season and hopes to bring that momentum into the 8-hour.


image
At the 8-hour warm-up, the Suzuka 300km Endurance Race, on June 10,
Nakasuga (left) and Abe (right) (machine is the YZF-R1)



Rider Profiles


#21 YAMAHA RACING

imageKatsuyuki Nakasuga
Born on Aug. 9, 1981
Racing career
2000: 11th in All Japan GP250 class
2001: 20th in All Japan GP250 class
2002: 5th in All Japan GP250 class
2003: 8th in All Japan GP250 class
2004: 5th in All Japan GP250 class
2005: 12th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2006: 9th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2007:  competing in All Japan JSB, won Rd. 4
(ranked 11th as of Rd.4)
Suzuka 8-hour record
2006: Retired (with Shinichi Nakatomi)
image Nobuyuki Osaki
Born on Mar. 8, 1971
Racing career
1994: 23rd in All Japan GP125class
1995: 14th in All Japan GP125class
1996: 11th in All Japan GP125class
1997: 4th in All Japan GP125class
1998: 4th in All Japan GP125class
1999: 6th in All Japan GP250class
2000: 8th in All Japan GP250class
2001: 2nd in All Japan GP250class
2002: 4th in All Japan GP250class
2003: 10th in All Japan JSB class
2004: 14th in All Japan JSB class
2005: 9th in All Japan ST600class
2006: 4th in All Japan ST600class
2007:  Competing in All Japan JSB class (ranked 12th as of Rd. 4)
Suzuka 8-hour record
2004: Retired (paired with Yoshihiko Fujiwara)
2005: 50th (with Yoshihiko Fujiwara)
2006: 14th (with Yoshihiko Fujiwara)


#81 YAMAHA RACING

imageNorifumi Abe
Born on Sept. 7, 1975
Racing career
1993: Champion of All Japan GP500 class
1995: 9th in World GP500class
1996: 5th in World GP500class
1997: 7th in World GP500class
1998: 6th in World GP500class
1999: 6th in World GP500class
2000: 8th in World GP500class
2001: 7th in World GP500class
2002: 6th in MotoGP
2003: 16th in MotoGP
2004: 13th in MotoGP
2005: 13th in World Superbike Championship
2006: 13th in World Superbike Championship
2007:  Competing in All Japan JSB
(ranked 4th as of Rd.4)
Suzuka 8-hour record
2007: First entry
image Jamie Stauffer
Born on May 7, 1979
Nationality: Australian
Racing career
Began dirt track riding at age 4. Had won 53 state titles by 1998 and 19 national titles.
1998:  Champion of New South Wales Road Race
2000: Champion of Aprilia Challenge Cup
2006:  Champion of Australian Supersport Championship
Champion of Australian Superbike Championship
2007:  Competing in Australian Superbike Championship
(ranked 1st as of Rd. 5)
Suzuka 8-hour record
2007: First entry

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