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Yamaha press releases on our motor sports racing activities

Round 3 of the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship
The 39th "Coca-Cola Zero" Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race
Yamaha Enters Two Factory Teams Aiming for Second Consecutive Suzuka Win

June 1, 2016

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announces that it will compete in the 39th "Coca-Cola Zero" Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race to be held at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture from July 28 to 31, 2016 with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team. The two factory teams will use a YZF-R1 specially developed for the Suzuka 8 Hours and Yamaha will aim to take a second consecutive victory and its sixth ever in the competition.

Riding again for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team will be Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the defending champion and current holder of four consecutive titles in the pinnacle JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship, and MotoGP regular Pol Espargaró, who put Yamaha in pole position last year with an incredible flying lap, despite it being his first time to race at Suzuka and aboard the YZF-R1. The two star riders that helped bring Yamaha its stunning Suzuka 8 Hours win last year will be joined by Alex Lowes, who rides for Yamaha in its return to the World Superbike Championship this year. The team manager will be Wataru Yoshikawa, the current manager of Yamaha's All Japan Road Race Championship factory team.

As for the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team led by manager Mandy Kainz, it will field team regular Broc Parkes, who is competing this season in the Endurance World Championship, and Kouta Nozane and Takuya Fujita, two young but top riders competing in the All Japan Championship's premier class.

Also, this year will see Monster Energy as the main sponsor of both Yamaha teams. Monster Energy is a key partner in Yamaha's quest for victory in racing series around the world, such as the MotoGP World Championship, the Motocross World Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship. Yamaha's entries will have the valuable support of Monster Energy and a host of other sponsors as they battle to repeat last year's success at Suzuka.

As Yamaha Motor celebrated its 60th anniversary last season, concerted global efforts were made to energize our racing activities, such as the introduction of the new YZF-R1 to the race scene. The result was not only a victory at the previous Suzuka 8 Hours but also numerous wins and championship titles in production-based racing in Japan, Europe and North America. These successes did much to boost Yamaha's presence in the world's markets.

Yamaha is pursuing a more aggressive policy for racing activities this season, which includes returning to the World Superbike Championship, and this entry of two factory teams in the Suzuka 8 Hours is another example of this strengthened policy.

Yamaha will be aiming to win a second consecutive victory this year in the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours and further strengthen the presence of the YZF-R1 in Japan and abroad. And like last year, we will be seeking new gains in technological expertise, promoting development of human resources and sharing the excitement and rewarding experiences of motorsport as an embodiment of our "Revs your Heart" Brand Slogan.

Yamaha Factory Racing Team

Katsuyuki Nakasuga

Profile
Nationality Japanese
Born August 9, 1981
Racing career
2013 All Japan JSB1000 Champion
2014 All Japan JSB1000 Champion
2015 All Japan JSB1000 Champion
2016 Current All Japan JSB1000 class standing: 1st
Suzuka 8 Hours
2013 8th place
2014 4th place
2015 Winner
2016 9th time to enter

Pol Espargaró

Profile
Nationality Spanish
Born June 10, 1991
Racing career
2013 Moto2 World Champion
2014 6th in MotoGP World Championship
2015 9th in MotoGP World Championship
2016 Current MotoGP World Championship standing: 7th
Suzuka 8 Hours
2015 Winner
2016 2nd time to enter

Alex Lowes

Profile
Nationality British
Born September 14, 1990
Racing career
2013 British Superbike Champion
2014 11th in World Superbike Championship
2015 10th in World Superbike Championship
2016 Current World Superbike Championship standing: 10th
Suzuka 8 Hours
2015 5th place
2016 2nd time to enter

Yamaha Factory Racing Team Sponsors

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YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

Broc Parkes

Profile
Nationality Australian
Born December 24, 1981
Racing career
2013 Australian FX Superbike Champion
2014 23rd in MotoGP World Championship
2015 10th in Endurance World Championship
2016 Current Endurance World Championship standing: 13th
Suzuka 8 Hours
2013 8th place
2014 4th place
2015 DNF
2016 4th time to enter

Kouta Nozane

Profile
Nationality Japanese
Born October 29, 1995
Racing career
2013 All Japan J-GP2 Champion
2014 8th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2015 7th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2016 Current All Japan JSB1000 class standing: 3rd
Suzuka 8 Hours
2016 1st time to enter

Takuya Fujita

Profile
Nationality Japanese
Born November 28, 1994
Racing career
2013 8th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2014 9th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2015 18th in All Japan JSB1000 class
2016 Current All Japan JSB1000 class standing: 15th
Suzuka 8 Hours
2013 17th place
2014 17th place
2016 3rd time to enter

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Sponsors

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