As part of a series of ongoing activities to celebrate Yamaha’s 50th year in Grand Prix racing, the Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1s of reigning World MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo and 2010 Rookie of the Year Ben Spies will run a special ‘YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition’ livery for the Assen TT and Laguna Seca races.
Lorenzo and Spies will unveil the livery at a special event on Wednesday, June 22, close to the Assen circuit
The unique red and white livery design pays homage to the iconic Yamaha Factory Racing liveries of the past with a modern twist. The colors will also appear on all Yamaha staff and team crew as well as the Yamaha Factory Racing team’s pit box.
A special 50th Anniversary logo is also being used this season. The logo is proudly displayed on the 2011 YZR-M1 fuel tank, on all Yamaha Factory Racing Team uniforms, within the pit garage of riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies and also on the Yamaha Factory Racing trucks.
The Yamaha World GP 50th Anniversary is also celebrated online with a special dedicated website www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/ (English). The website features an impressive archive tracking the history of Yamaha’s involvement with racing along with detailed historical information. Throughout the season the site will be regularly updated with columns and videos along with exclusive messages and interviews of key people involved in the World Championship Grand Prix racing story of Yamaha.