Yamaha to exit Dakar Rally

Yamaha has opted to stop its rallying programme, signalling the end of an era for the company. Yamaha has announced that it would no longer compete in the renowned Dakar Rally, as well as other FIM Cross Country Events World Championships, after 44 rallies. This essentially makes the 2022 Dakar Rally, which was hosted in Saudi Arabia and saw Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team riders Adrien van Beveren and Andrew Short finish fourth and eighth, the manufacturer’s final Dakar appearance.

Well, Yamaha was the only brand, associated with Dakar since its inception.

• Yamaha’s history with the race dates back to the inaugural event in 1979, when Frenchman Cyril Neveu won on the Yamaha XT500, followed by a second triumph a year later.
• In the 1990s, Yamaha’s Stéphane Peterhansel set a record with six victories, while Italian Edi Orioli added to Yamaha’s dominance in Africa with victory in the 1997 race.
• In the 400 cc Super Production category, the WR450F 2-Trac has recently had a lot of success. In the 2004 and 2005 rallies, rider David Frétigné took first place in his class.
• In 2009, he finished third overall in the first South American event. In 2011 and 2012, Hélder Rodrigues was on the podium, while in 2014, rider Olivier Pain was third.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team introduced the WR450F Rally in 2015, and the team went on to finish in the top 10 on multiple occasions. Adrien van Beveren came within a whisker of winning the 2018 event with just a few kilometres to go. This might be one of the reasons for the manufacturer’s desire to end the competition, especially given Honda and KTM’s domination in recent years.

Eric de Seynes, President, Chief Executive Officer, Yamaha Motor Europe said, “Our off-road customers now have different expectations and they look for different products, and we must cater for these if we are to stay connected. It is for this reason we have decided to end our long history on two wheels at the Dakar Rally and in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, while simultaneously strengthening our commitment to racing the Dakar on four wheels with the Yamaha YXZ1000R SSV. However Yamaha’s commitment to Rally Raid events with motorcycles is not over, but our future engagement must have a closer connection to our customers and their aspirations, developing further the Ténéré 700 potential towards a direction that will enable them to rediscover the more adventurous side of Rallies.”

Yamaha’s YXZ1000R prototype project will continue to assist the SSV class at Dakar. With the upcoming debut of the new Tenere World Raid, the business will also shift its attention to satisfying changing client demands in the off-road sector. This will be based on the Tenere 700, the brand’s most popular adventure model.