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David Frétigné (Yamaha WR450F - Yamaha Moto France Ipone) confirmed his ambitions for the legendary Dakar rally raid by claiming his fourth consecutive win in the Shamrock rally, that took place in the Marroccan Sahara from the 28th of October to the 6th of November. After his season competing in national and international enduro races, 'the Shamrock' marked Frétigné's traditional switch to rally-raid. The likeable Frenchman quickly adapted to the terrain and his bike. Frétigné, 35, took five d

Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt were on track yesterday at a two day test at Valencia circuit, arranged by championship tyre supplier Pirelli for its official development teams. Running time was limited after Monday's action was washed out due to heavy rain. Pitt was one of only four riders to brave the conditions, completing just a handful of laps on the slippery surface. Day two saw the arrival of sunshine but the track failed to dry out in the morning, leaving just t

Yamaha Motor France will enter the 2006 Superbike World Championship with a three-rider line-up that sees former Japanese 250cc champion Shinichi Nakatomi join the team's 2005 riders Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert. Twenty-seven-year-old Nakatomi is an experienced R1 pilot, having ridden for Yamaha's YSP Racing Team in the Suzuka Eight-hour and Japanese JSB1000 championship since switching to four-strokes in 2003. Having never raced outside his native Japan, Nakatomi is looking forward to the

Biker Meets Ace Café, Old North Circular Road, Wembley – Sunday http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=519550&Y=183850&A=Y&Z=1 Tel: 020 8961 1000 http://www.ace-cafe-london.com Boxhill, Ryka's Cafe, Old London Road, Dorking - Sunday http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=517150&Y=152050&A=Y&Z=1 Carlisle Parade, Carlisle Parade, Hastings, Sussex - Wed Eve http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=581550&Y=109250&A=Y&Z=1 Cat & Fiddle

Tracks Anglesey http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=238583&Y=367476&A=Y&Z=5 Brands Hatch http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=557500&Y=164500&A=Y&Z=5 Cadwell Park http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=529375&Y=380854&A=Y&Z=5 Castle Combe http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=385709&Y=176572&A=Y&Z=5 Croft http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=428440&Y=507201&A=Y&Z=5 Donington Par

Yamaha Motor Italia completed their first year in the Superbike World Championship yesterday, taking part in a three-day test session at the Losail circuit in the Gulf state of Qatar. The test, organised by championship tyre suppliers Pirelli, was attended by all but one of the series' designated development teams and gave riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt an opportunity to test some new Ohlins suspension parts on their YZF-R1 machines, as well as a host of new tyre options. In contrast to

Yamaha Motor Germany riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes had their first outing on the race-spec YZF-R6s they will race in next year's Supersport World Championship at the Valencia circuit in Spain today. The two Australians flew into Spain especially for the test and spent the day making shakedown runs on their bikes, respectively completing 72 and 60 trouble-free laps around the 4.05km circuit on the first of two days testing. The German squad has been working hard in conjunction with its su

Yamaha ends promising first R6 test 15/12/2005 Yamaha Motor Germany completed a promising two-day test at Valencia today, the first outing for the team's 2006 model YZF-R6. Experienced Australian Kevin Curtain was satisfied with the performance of the new machine, recording a best lap time of 1:38.6 on a machine that is still in its first stage of development as a race bike. The 39-year-old was able to enjoy two dry and trouble free days on the circuit, allowing him to complete a full test pro

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. hereby announces that Altadis/Seita's sponsorship regarding Yamaha's Factory MotoGP Team will not continue after the end of the 2005 season. For more than 40 years, Yamaha has successfully participated in the Road Racing Grand Prix World Championship and it has become the leading manufacturer of the MotoGP competition.  Altadis/Seita have been sponsors of the Yamaha Factory MotoGP project for the past three seasons under both the Fortuna and the Gauloises brands, durin

In the first days of the 2006 Dakar David Frétigné positioned himself amongst the favorites for winning the grueling Rally event. 233 bikes started from Lissabon to Portimão for the first day. With the starting order inversed, meaning that the highest starting number would depart first, Frétigné carrying number 12 was one of the last riders to depart. He finished the day in sixth position being hampered by rainy conditions and some slower competitors ahead of him. Day two of the event introduce

Day 4 - Tuesday 3 January 2006 Er Rachida - Quarzazate (Morocco). Connection 56 km, Special 386 km, Connection 197 km, Total 639 km. Stage four of the Dakar 2006 event, from Er Rachidia to Quarzazate in Marocco, was to be another day covered in dust. Starting from 10th position, David Frétigné (Fra) needed all his physical strength and experience to overtake his opponents along the 86 km special stage. While the leaders set out first to navigate the route, the competitors that followed were abl

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announces the start of a new partnership with JT International (JTI), a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco Inc., whose brand CAMEL will become the new title sponsor of Yamaha's Factory MotoGP Team for 2006. The Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team, consisting of reigning-World Champion Valentino Rossi and his team-mate Colin Edwards, will be known as the "Camel Yamaha Team" in 2006. Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Lin Jarvis commented "Yamaha is very excited to enter into this n

Day 7 - Friday 6 January 2006 Zouérat - Atâr (Mauritania) Connection 10 km, Special 499 km, Connection 12 km, Total 521 km A big dose of courage was needed to cover this special. Technically difficult as well as providing a tough test of navigation, the day's riding consisted of large dunes alternating with fast flat portions on treacherous ground - proving to be one of the toughest stages of the rally. Starting in reverse order, David managed setting sixth time on CP1 (checkpoint). Fellow Fren

On January 9, 2006 Altadis abruptly announced that it had initiated arbitration proceedings against Yamaha arising out of an alleged breach by Yamaha of the two companies' sponsorship agreement for Yamaha's factory racing team.  Yamaha would like to clarify several points in light of Altadis' wrongful statements.  First, Yamaha no longer has any sponsorship agreement with Altadis, as the previous sponsorship agreement was terminated in all respects for the 2006 season. Second, Yamaha strongl

Day 11 - stage 10 - Tuesday 10 January 2006 Kiffa > Kayes (Mali) Connection 1 km, Special 283 km, Connection 49 km, Total 333 km   Due to the tragic accident of Andy Caldecott the Dakar organization decided that the day's stage was to be covered in liaison from start to finish for the bikes as a tribute to the unfortunate Australian rider. Instead of the 283 kilometer special, the day would not be timed for the riders. The cars and trucks were not excluded from competition and competed as pla

Day 14 - Stage 13 Friday 13 January 2006 Labé > Tambacounda Connection 7 km, Special 348 km, Connection 212 km, Total 567 km A very technical stage was set for Friday the 13th after two days without technical assistance. The reliable technique of the WR450F demanded only the obvious maintenance: oil and filters. Passing the highest points in this year's Dakar, the riders had to cross several steep and rocky passes. The nimble character of the WR450F gave David Frétigné good expectations to a