Yamaha launch Suzuka 8H Ltd
Words and images courtesy Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Europe (YME) and the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) GYTR Pro Shop have unveiled three limited-edition replicas of the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team R1. This is the bike on which the team claimed their first Suzuka 8 Hours podium this year.
The YART squad secured second place in the overall standings of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) season after a sensational season. They claimed third at the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans, won the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, and recorded another third at the Bol d’Or.
Arguably, the highlight of their year, though, was their incredible second-place finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
This fulfilled a lifelong ambition for the team and its manager, Mandy Kainz, to score a podium at the legendary endurance race in Japan.
This result inspired the decision to create three new Suzuka 8 Hours R1 replicas. These feature the special livery the YART team ran in Japan. Each model offers a distinct step up in performance. Each upgrade brings the bikes ever closer to the EWC-spec YART R1.
Commissioned by YART and supported by YME, the new special edition replicas come with an array of high-performance upgrades and unique features. This varies depending on which package you choose: the Base model, the Evo version, or the Factory edition.
The Base model produces 200bhp and comes with high-performance Öhlins race suspension, including FGK 219 front forks, a TTX YA468 rear shock, plus a race specification steering dampener.
It also features an Akrapovič factory exhaust kit and lightweight Marchesini forged aluminium wheels, with Bridgestone V02 race slicks fitted front and rear.
Brembo manufactured the brakes, including the high-quality GP4-RX callipers, Z04 pads, and T-Drive discs. The Italian company also provided the remote brake adjuster fitted to the machine.
All of the bikes feature numerous Genuine Yamaha Technology for Racing (GYTR) parts. This includes the latest rear quick-change system to make replacing the rear wheel quicker during a tyre change. There are also racing footrests, ECU, and quick action throttle, which are essential components on Yamaha’s racing machines.
The Evo model takes things to the next level with an even more track-focused suspension setup. It includes the addition of Öhlins FGR252 front forks. The Brembo brakes are updated to GP4-MS callipers. Plus, it gets a nickel-coated rear calliper and CNC PR18x19 master callipers to improve stopping performance even more.
Plus, it also comes with a BMC air filter.
Finally, the Factory edition of the bike has all of the Evo’s upgrades, but in addition, it has the full GYTR engine kit fitted. This includes upgraded GYTR internals, with camshafts, pistons, conrods, valve springs, and much more, that increase the power output of the bike to a staggering 220bhp. It brings it even closer to the full EWC race-spec YART R1.
Mandy Kainz, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team Team Manager said:
“We are delighted to introduce these exclusive Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team Suzuka 8 Hours R1 replicas. The three different versions give customers the choice of how close they want to get to the full EWC-spec R1, and the livery is quite simply beautiful. It was a dream of mine and everyone who works in the team to secure our maiden Suzuka podium; these bikes represent a fantastic way to celebrate this achievement. I would like to thank everyone at YART, YME, and all of our partners who have done an incredible job of bringing this project to fruition and producing three distinct but equally magnificent track bikes.”