2019 Yamaha YZF-R1 Suzuka 8 Hours Edition First Look
Rennie Scaysbrook | November 5, 2018
2019 Yamaha YZF-R1 Suzuka 8 Hours Edition First Look—The Suzuka 8 Hours was once the biggest race on the planet for the Japanese manufacturers. To win Suzuka was equal to winning in MotoGP, and the Japanese manufacturers often had a no-expense-spared mentality as they fought for glory on home turf.
2019 Yamaha YZF-R1 Suzuka 8 Hours Edition First Look
Through the years, the 8 Hours lost its luster, failing to attract top riders from WorldSBK and MotoGP. That’s all changed in recent history, as some of the fastest riders in the world once again line up for 8 Hour glory in the Endurance World Championship’s blue ribbon event.
The company who has been almost unbeatable in the last four years has been Yamaha, much to the ire of Honda, who own the Suzuka venue. WorldSBK riders Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes, plus former Yamaha pilots Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith and Japanese Superbike Champion Katsuyuki Nakasuga have taken the last four straight wins in the humidity oven that is Suzuka, and Yamaha now finds it the perfect time to bring out this factory-built racer for 2019.
Limited to just 20 editions only for the European market and celebrating 20 years of the YZF-R1, the track-only GYTR specification YZF-R1 is everything a privateer could possibly want in a racer. Resplendent in the race-replica red and black paint scheme (itself a replica of the 1998 production paint scheme), the YZF-R1 Öhlins FGRT 219 front fork package, TTX36 GP rear shock, fully adjustable steering damper, as well as a full titanium Akrapovič Evolution 2 exhaust system. You also get a Gillies crank and axle protectors, full carbon bodywork, and the option of non-Yamaha Racing parts for sale, installed by engineers of Yamaha’s official race team.
Yamaha is not releasing power or weight numbers, but on the electronics side, you’ll get a new ECO, CCU, and a quick action throttle, along with a bunch of other GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing) parts as standard.
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