During the first round of the 2024 World Superbike season in Australia, rumors intensified that Yamaha would end development of the R1 and withdraw the production-derived bike from the range. It was later clarified that the problem only affected certain markets and that the reason was the transition to the Euro 6 emissions regulation.
While BMW and Ducati continue to work hard on new developments, there is less push at Yamaha, so much so that the R1 has remained practically unchanged since 2020. In a championship close to series production, this inevitably leads to problems that can only be compensated for making concessions in regulations.
On the occasion of the Barcelona round of SBK, we met Paul Denning to talk about the future of the R1. The Yamaha team manager tries to keep confidence high and is convinced that the Iwata company will continue to provide developments, even if the R1 will only be offered in a trackday version in important markets such as Europe.
Paul Denning, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I'm not worried at all,” explains Paul Denning in an interview with Motorsport.com. “It is not true that the R1 will no longer be offered in the road version. It is simply no longer offered in Europe. The reason is the Euro 6 regulation. It is very difficult to comply with these regulations and maintain performance.”
A few years ago, Yamaha decided to offer the R6 only in a track version and demand for the super sports bike continued to decline. Now the R1 is having a similar fate. thus, Yamaha decided not to proceed with a new homologation, which would have been necessary due to the new emission standards.
“It doesn't make sense when you consider the question,” says Paul Denning. “Yamaha has decided to offer the R1 only in the trackday version, as is already the case for cross bikes. The majority of our customers still use the bike on the track.”
Andrea Locatelli, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The shift from street to track bikes will likely further reduce sales. However, Paul Denning expects further updates from Yamaha: “I don't think it will have a negative impact on our racing project. On the contrary, it is positive. Yamaha will continue to develop the bike and focus on track use.”
An entirely new R1 is considered unlikely. “There will be an evolution for 2025 with new parts. But it won't be a completely new model,” predicts the Yamaha team manager.
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