The Japanese marque has been one of the pillars of the Dakar since the event’s inception in 1979, achieving nine successes in the motorcycle race since then. However, his last triumph dates back to 1998, when Stephane Peterhansel took the last of his six Dakar victories on two wheels with Yamaha.
Success has struggled to come in recent years, with KTM and Honda dominating, and his last podium is in 2014, when Olivier Pain finished third. Adrian van Beveren was the best Yamaha rider in the 2022 edition which was held in Saudi Arabia last month, finishing in fourth position.
Despite ending its presence in motorcycles, Yamaha will not completely abandon the Dakar, as it is committed to continuing to support the SSV class. “While the Dakar Rally has primarily managed to remain tied to its roots even as it moved from its spiritual homeland, Africa, the world it lives in has changed dramatically,” said Eric de Seynes, Yamaha Motor Europe President.
“Our off-road customers now have different expectations and are looking for different products. We must meet these expectations if we are to stay connected. It is for this reason that we have decided to end our long wheel history in the Dakar Rally and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, while reinforcing our commitment to racing the Dakar on four wheels with the Yamaha YXZ1000R SSV ”.
Outside the Dakar, Yamaha has had some successes in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies series, with Helder Rodrigues taking Iwata the rider’s title in 2011. Last year Van Beveren finished second behind KTM standard bearer Matthias Walkner , while teammate Ross Branch took a victory in the Kazakhstan Rally.
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