The Yamaha Racing Heritage Club will honour the 50th anniversary of the TZ production racer and the 25th anniversary of the R1 with legends such as Johnny Cecotto and Carlos Lavado riding the machines on which they achieved their greatest success alongside some of the biggest modern-day stars from WorldSBK at the Yamaha Racing Experience in Mugello, Italy, from the 21st-22nd of July.
The Yamaha Racing Heritage Club (YRHC) was set up to safeguard and recognise the manufacturer’s rich racing legacy by allowing owners of classic race bikes to become members, register their bikes on the official database, and receive advanced technical support, as well as take part in some very special events.
Now in its second year, 2023 has already seen the YRHC entertain the fans at the Sunday Ride Classic at Circuit Paul Ricard in France during May, and now it is turning its focus to the Yamaha Racing Experience (YRE) at the famed Mugello Circuit.
Yamaha released the revolutionary two-cylinder liquid-cooled TZ250 and TZ350 in 1973, based on their factory race bikes from the previous season; then, in 1974, Yamaha brought out the TZ750, which went on to become the most dominant motorcycle of the era, recording nine consecutive Daytona 200 wins.
To honour these iconic machines, YRHC members will get the chance to ride around the 5.245km Mugello track alongside two legendary Venezuelan riders who became synonymous with the TZ, 1975 FIM 350cc World Champion and 1978 FIM Formula 750 World Champion Cecotto and double FIM 250cc World Champion (1983 & 1986) Lavado.
There will also be several historic race bikes in action and on display, including numerous TZ250s, TZ350s, and TZ750s, plus a TA125, Yamaha’s entry-level production race bike also released in 1973, a 1978 factory YZR750 OW31, and a 1993 Yamaha ROC500.
This year is also the 25th anniversary of the game-changing R1 superbike, which has achieved numerous successes over the years since its introduction in 1998, including two FIM Superbike World Championships (2009 & 2021) and four consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours victories (2015-2018).
To mark this momentous occasion, there will be an exhibition highlighting the R1’s evolution over the last quarter of a century featuring a number of exclusive race bikes. Plus, creating a link between the past and the present, the YRHC members will also be joined by an illustrious list of current Yamaha WorldSBK and Endurance World Championship riders who all race the R1.
These include Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Official Team’s 2021 Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and 2020 Supersport World Champion Andrea Locatelli, GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s double Supersport World Champion (2021 & 2022) Dominique Aegerter and 2020 Moto2 World Champion Remy Gardner, GMT94 WorldSBK Team’s 2022 Supersport World Championship runner-up Lorenzo Baldassari, Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team’s 2022 British Superbike Champion Bradley Ray, plus Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team’s 2017 Endurance World Champion Niccolò Canepa.
Nestled in the Tuscan Hills in Florence, Mugello is famous not only for its incredible combination of undulating, flowing fast corners and slower, more technical sections but also for its 1.141km long straight, all of which combine to create one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world.
It is a fitting place for the anniversary celebrations, as when it hosted a Grand Prix for the first time in 1976 (the Grand Prix of Nations), Yamaha tasted immediate success with Cecotto taking victory in the 350cc class on his TZ350.
The event starts on Thursday evening with a special dinner at the Mugello Circuit before three dedicated track sessions for YRHC members on Friday and a parade lap on Saturday, as well as several other off-track activities, such as demonstration laps and being able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK pit box.
