Skip to Main Contents
Search

Detail

Yamaha press releases on our motor sports racing activities


Yamaha Race Team Program for 2007-2008 WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour and the 2008 MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series Nov. 15, 2007

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) announces its team program for competing in the 2007-2008 WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour and the 2008 MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series.
Yamaha will be competing in the Pro Open Class and the Semi-Pro Open Class of the WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour. In Japan, Yamaha will be looking to win its third consecutive championship in the pinnacle Super Class of the MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series. The race machines that both of these teams will use will be based on the Yamaha "FX Nytro."
The year 2007 marks the 40th year since Yamaha began building snowmobile as the only domestic maker of complete-built-up snowmobiles in 1968. During this time, Yamaha has done much to promote the sport of snowmobiling in Japan, and race activities are one of these areas of effort. In recent years, we have seen the 2005 establishment of the "Club YAMAHA RACING" organization with the support of our user association "Club YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE." The aim of the program is to participate in the Super Class of the MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series using Yamaha痴 4-stroke machines and to serve as a proving ground for young riders who want to become top-class competitors. It was also been involved in various customer service activities aimed at promoting the growth of the industry and the cultivation of snowmobile fans.
In 2006, this Club YAMAHA RACING program was joined by a new program that established the elite "Yamaha Racing Team" with the aims of winning the championship in the pinnacle class of snowmobile racing in Japan while also developing technologies to improve machine performance. Yuji Nakazawa, racer of this team, brought the first championship title to Yamaha ever for a 4-stroke snowmobile.
In 2007, Yamaha continued to participate in the MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship with two teams. In that series, the Yamaha Racing Team痴 Nobuaki Eikura won the title and was followed by four other Yamaha riders in the top ten, taking 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 10th places in the season ranking.
This year also saw Yamaha return to the WPSA competition for the first time since 2002. The Yamaha team competed in the Pro Open Class with a 4-stroke machine. Working in close tie-up with the technical development efforts going on in Japan, the Yamaha team became the first ever to win a WPSA race with a 4-stroke machine, in round three of the series.
Through these efforts, Yamaha痴 challenge to compete in world-class snowmobile races with 4-stroke machines has made steady progress.
For the 2008 season, the "Yamaha MQ Racing Team" will be competing in the Pro Open Class of the WPSA series while the "Yamaha Factory Snocross Team" managed by Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. will compete in the Pro Open Class and the Semi-Pro Open Class. In the MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship the Yamaha Racing Team and the Club YAMAHA RACING will be competing in the Super Class.
These teams in Japan and North America will be cooperating even more closely this season to try to win the championship titles, while also working on 4-stroke machine development and promoting the sport of snowmobiling, all with the aim of bringing Kando* to winter sports fans everywhere.


*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.



Teams & Riders


2007-2008 WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour

Category

Rider

Team

Base
Machine

WPSA

Pro
Open Class

Yuji Nakazawa

Yamaha MQ Racing Team

FX
Nytro

Steve Taylor

Yamaha Factory
Snocross Team

Semi Pro
Open Class

Cory Davis



2008 MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series

Category

Rider

Team

Base
Machine

All-Japan
Championships

Super
Class

Nobuaki Eikura

Yamaha Racing Team

FX
Nytro

Shinji Tozawa

Kiyotaka Kawagoe

Club YAMAHA Blue MAX

Daishi Takamura

Club YAMAHA Fuji Auto RC

Masafumi Terasaki

Club Yamaha Team target



Race Schedule


2007-2008 WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour

Round 1

Nov. 23-25

Minnesota / Duluth National

Round 2, 3

Jan. 12-13

Minnesota / Canterbury Snocross

Round 4, 5

Jan. 19-20

Montana / West Yellowstone National

Special round

Jan. 24-27

Colorado / Winter X-Games

Round 6

Feb. 9-10

New York / Eastern National

Round 7

Feb. 16-17

Quebec, Canada / Grand Prix de Valcourt

Round 8

Feb. 23-24

Ontario, Canada / Sarnia World Championship

Round 9

Mar. 8-9

Minnesota / Brainerd National

Round 10

Mar. 14-16

Wisconsin / Grand Finale


* The opening round is in 2007 and the second round is in 2008.
* All rounds except 7 and 8 (Canada) are held in the U.S.A.


2008 MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series

Round 1

Jan. 26 - 27

Niigata, Yuzawa round / Yuzawa special course

Round 2

Feb. 3

Nagano round / Snowmobile Land in Madarao

Round 3

Feb. 10

Hokkaido, Wassamu round / Wassamu cuircuit

Round 4

Feb. 17

Hokkaido, Shibetsu round / Shibetsu Kasen Bousai Station-yoko special course

Round 5

Feb. 24

Aomori round / New Aomori Athletic Facility special course

Round 6

Mar. 2

Hokkaido, Biei round / Biei-cho Gliding Field



Profiles


WPSA Power Sports Snowmobile Tour

Yuji Nakazawa

image

Team: Yamaha MQ Racing Team (No. 36)

Class: Pro Open Class

Born: Nagano Pref.

Date of birth: Apr. 14, 1980

Height / weight: 163cm / 63kg

Race career

2000: All-Japan Super Class champion

2001: 

4th in USA WINTER X-GAME
USA WSA World Snocross
12th in Pro Open Class ranking
Won "International Rider of the Year"

2002: 

USA WSA World Snocross
16th in Pro Open Class ranking
2nd in Indoor Super Snocross

2003: 

USA WSA World Snocross
12th in Pro Stock Class ranking
14th in Pro Open Class ranking

2004: All-Japan Super Class champion

2005: All-Japan Super Class champion

2006: All-Japan Super Class champion

2007: 21st in WPSA Pro Open Class ranking


Steve Taylor

image

Team: Yamaha Factory Snocross Team (No. 2)

Class: Pro Open Class

Born: British Columbia, Canada

Date of birth: Apr. 25, 1982

Height / weight: 178cm / 68kg

Race career

2005: 8th in WPSA Pro Open Class ranking

2006: 6th in WPSA Pro Open Class ranking


Cory Davis

image

Team: Yamaha Factory Snocross Team (No. 160)

Class: Semi Pro Open Class

Born: Alaska, U.S.A.

Date of birth: Jun. 4, 1988

Height / weight: 183cm / 77kg

Race career

2006: 9th in WPSA Semi Pro Open Class ranking

2007: WPSA Semi Pro Open Class champion



MFJ All-Japan Snowmobile Championship series

Nobuaki Eikura

image

Team: Yamaha Racing Team (No. 1)

Class: Super Class

Born: Aomori Pref.

Date of birth: Oct. 5, 1978

Height / weight: 174cm / 65kg

Race career in the All-Japan Championships

2001: All-Japan B Level S1 Class champion

2002: 

6th in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking
10th in All-Japan A Level S3 Class ranking

2003: 

2nd in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking
5th in All-Japan A Level S3 Class ranking

2004: 12th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2005: 12th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2006: 6th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2007: All-Japan Super Class champion


Shinji Tozawa

image

Team: Yamaha Racing Team (No. 10)

Class: Super Class

Born: Hokkaido

Date of birth: May 24, 1974

Height / weight: 183cm / 70kg

Race career in the All-Japan Championships

1995: All-Japan A Level S1 Class champion

1996: All-Japan A Level S2 Class champion

1997: All-Japan A Level S2 Class champion

1998: All-Japan A Level S1 Class champion

1999: 3rd in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2000: 3rd in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2001: All-Japan Super Class champion

2002: All-Japan Super Class champion

2003: 2nd in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2004: 3rd in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2005: 11th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2006: 5th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2007: 10th in All-Japan Super Class ranking


Kiyotaka Kawagoe

image

Team: Club YAMAHA Blue MAX (No. 2)

Class: Super Class

Born: Aomori Pref.

Date of birth: Mar. 8, 1979

Height / weight: 173cm / 65kg

Race career in the All-Japan Championships

1997: 15th All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking

1998: 16th All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking

1999: All-Japan A Level S1 Class champion

2000: 4th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2001: 2nd in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2002: 5th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2003: 3th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2004: 4th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2005: 5th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2006: 7th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2007: 2nd in All-Japan Super Class ranking


Daishi Takamura

image

Team: Club YAMAHA Fuji Auto RC (No. 5)

Class: Super Class

Born: Aomori Pref.

Date of birth: Jul. 20, 1985

Height / weight: 176cm / 58kg

Race career in the All-Japan Championships

2004: 3rd in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking

2005: All-Japan A Level S1 Class champion

2006: All-Japan A Level S1 Class champion

2007: 5th in All-Japan Super Class ranking


Masafumi Terasaki

image

Team: Club Yamaha Team target (No. 6)

Class: Super Class

Born: Hokkaido

Date of birth: Aug. 25, 1981

Height / weight: 170cm / 55kg

Race career in the All-Japan Championships

2000: 

4th in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking All-Japan A Level S3 Class champion

2001: 

14th in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking 5th in All-Japan A Level S3 Class ranking

2002: 

5th in All-Japan A Level S1 Class ranking All-Japan A Level S3 Class champion

2003: 4th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2004: 6th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2005: 8th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2006: 4th in All-Japan Super Class ranking

2007: 6th in All-Japan Super Class ranking


Back to
Top