On top of the MOST excellent festivities surrounding Yamaha’s 25-year anniversary of the R1 (and subsequent drop of a beauty R1 GYTR PRO 25th edition), the Japanese multi-conglomerate firm has also just run a one-off replica machine to hail 50 short years with their YZ range of motocross machines!
Yammie’s very first YZ was a prototype, chucked onto the 1973 FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship circuit, where she aided in landing Yamaha their very first motocross champ title.
Today, that number has increased to 34 FIM Motocross Championships, the latest being won by the lovely Nancy van de Ven (2022, re. Yamaha Racing).
In commemoration of such a legacy, Yamaha’s YZ450FM and YZ250FM ran retro garb for their Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP and MX2 teams at this past weekend’s Motocross Grand Prix (MXGP), Lommel, Belgium; expect to also see this very same livery on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machines taking over the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
Efforts are slotted for Washougal, in Washington state, where the relevant racers will show off a livery taken from the year 1993 (the very same that dressed Yammie’s bikes when winning the FIM 250 Motocross World Championship title).
What do you think of Yamaha’s 50-year YZ anniversary livery?