Yamaha Motor’s first factory entry in the Suzuka 8 Hours was in 1984 with riders Shinichi Ueno and Hiroyuki Kawasaki riding an XJ750. After that the first Yamaha victory came in 1987 with riders Martin Wimmer and Kevin Magee, then it was followed up in 1988 and again in 1989 on a YZF750 ridden by Magee and Wayne Rainey, who would go on to win three consecutive 500cc titles. 8 Hours win number four came in 1996 at the hands of a young duo: 22-year-old Colin Edwards and 21-year-old Noriyuki Haga. Following that, Yamaha made further factory entries every year until 2002.

The factory team returned in 2015 for Yamaha’s 60th anniversary. This coincided with the launch of a fully redesigned YZF-R1, and the 8 Hours factory machine made its return after 13 years with the legendary #21 on its front fairing. The team included All-Japan competitor and dominant champion Katsuyuki Nakasuga at the core of the team alongside top MotoGP and WorldSBK riders. The team won four consecutive 8 Hours races through 2018, writing a new page in Yamaha’s history and illustrating the strong potential of the YZF-R1.

Aiming for a fifth consecutive win in 2019, with two minutes left in the race, the team was in 2nd when the leaders crashed, resulting in a provisional win. The result was reversed after post-race deliberations, and the team finished 2nd. Although they narrowly missed out on their goal, they brought excitement and a dramatic twist to the event. From that year onward, Yamaha elected to suspend factory entries in the 8 Hours.

2025 marks Yamaha’s 70th anniversary, and with it a new R1 for this year features winglets. On this occasion, the factory team makes its return after a six-year hiatus (since 2019) with the aim of demonstrating the R1’s competitive level to the world once again. The goal is to deliver kando and gratitude as we undertake the challenge of winning the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours.

*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feeling of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that people experience when they encounter something of exceptional value.

Selected for the Yamaha Racing Team’s rider lineup are Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who plays a key role in the team, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider Jack Miller, and Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team rider Andrea Locatelli.

The team’s YZF-R1 features a symbolic red and white color scheme to celebrate Yamaha’s 70th anniversary. This particular livery pays homage to the YZF-R7 seen in the 1999 Suzuka 8 Hours. The factory team in 1999 was called the “Yamaha Racing Team” (YRT), so for 2025 the team’s name was changed to align with the original.

The YZF-R1’s performance and potential have been honed as well. Since 2019, Nakasuga and other JSB1000 championship-winning riders have worked to refine two main elements of its fundamental performance: acceleration and deceleration. On top of this, the bike received winglets in 2025. Taking a lead role in testing these winglets was Nakasuga, as he and the development team worked to find the ideal shape, mounting position, and other refinements with the goal of improving wheelie control and cornering stability to raise the R1’s performance even further.

Race day will see strong rivals lined up from both in and outside Japan, but it could turn into a Yamaha vs. Yamaha affair, as EWC front-runners YART will also be competing on a YZF-R1. For YRT though, the aim is to reclaim the elusive 8 Hours victory that escaped the team’s grasp in 2019. This year’s 8 Hours is certainly not one to be missed.