Joining the Yamaha Factory Racing Team on the track once again as Yamaha’s second factory team this year is the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team contesting the Endurance World Championship (EWC) full-time.

The team’s parent organisation is the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART), a group of Austria-based endurance racing specialists. The team began racing in 2001 and started full-fledged EWC competition in 2002. After ranking 3rd in the 2005 season, they consistently challenged for the title, placing 2nd, 3rd and 2nd again in the championship before finally clinching the title in 2009 with four victories.

The team had an unfortunate DNF at the opening round of the 2017 season, but battled the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team for the win at the following 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, taking 2nd in both races and bringing them up to 4th in the standings.

For the Suzuka 8 Hours, Yamaha engineers will supplement the team’s regular members to provide support in a special arrangement for the race. Riding for the team will be its three regulars contesting the EWC this season. Veteran Broc Parkes, who is very familiar with top-level racing on the world stage, will act as the team’s pillar. Joining him are the young German and Japanese talents of Marvin Fritz and Kohta Nozane, both already beginning to make names for themselves as top riders in the world of road racing. Team Manager Mandy Kainz is once again leading the team this year. YART will field a factory-spec YZF-R1 based on their own refinements and wealth of endurance racing experience while also incorporating Yamaha’s racing know-how.

With the united front of Yamaha and YART, a veteran and two young guns, the team will be aiming for Yamaha’s third consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours win and to recapture the series title for the first time since 2009.