With a fourth place for Adrien van Beveren and an eighth place for Andrew Short in the 2022 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, Yamaha concludes a long and legendary association with the Dakar Rally.
Yamaha is the only brand to have competed in every Dakar rally since its inception. Frenchman Cyril Neveu took the victory on a Yamaha XT500 in the very first edition in 1979, followed a year later by a second victory. Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel even achieved a record six wins for Yamaha in the 1990s. With the WR450F Rally introduced in 2015, the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team came close to a podium finish on several occasions. Adrien van Beveren even missed the win in the 2018 edition just a few kilometers from the finish.
Yamaha will therefore no longer compete in the motorcycle category but will be present in the SSV category to support racers with the Yamaha YXZ1000R prototype project. Eric de Seynes, Chief Executive Officer of Yamaha Motor Europe explains this decision: “Yamaha has a long history with the Dakar Rally. It is also an event that I personally have a real passion for, as I have participated in it twice.”
“Our off-road customers now have different expectations,” De Seynes continues. “They are looking for other products, and we have to respond to them if we want to stay connected. However, Yamaha’s involvement in motorcycle Rally Raid events is not over, but our future involvement should have a closer connection with our customers and their aspirations, further developing the potential of the Ténéré 700 in a direction that allows them the more rediscover the adventurous side of rallies.”
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