Yamaha Racing Team Riders Gather in Suzuka as Anniversary YZF-R1 Livery Breaks Cover

Red and white colours were first seen on a Yamaha race bike in 1964, and in 1973, they adorned the YZR500 (0W20) for Yamaha’s first full season challenge in the 500cc world championship. Since then, it has become a symbolic colour for Yamaha race bikes.

This year, as Yamaha Motor celebrates the 70th anniversary of its 1955 founding and returns to the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours with a factory team for the first time in six years, it has adopted a special livery on the YZF-R1 to represent its ongoing spirit of challenge. The design is based on the 1999 YZF-R7 production race bike, but for 2025, this livery blends the 1990s look and feel of the R7 with new design elements, such as updated speed blocks.

The leathers worn by riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli, along with the shirts worn by all the team staff, and the pit garage itself will be fully coordinated in red and white throughout the 8 Hours race weekend.

“I’ve been racing a long time, and through my career, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of some of Yamaha’s big milestones. I’ve raced with some special liveries, and I’ve always felt honoured to do that, so for this year’s 8 Hours, getting to race in the 1999 YZF-R7 colours is another point of pride for me. I feel like we have to get a result worthy of these colours, so there’s some extra pressure. About the livery itself, I love it! I think it’s really cool. I’ve ridden red and white Yamaha liveries before, like the speed block design, and I’ve ridden in black and yellow, too. But this feels different from any of those, so I’m really looking forward to taking this year’s bike out on track. Just like I’ve done in the past, I’ll be focused on getting a great result for the team.” — Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Yamaha Racing Team

“Obviously, I’m extremely excited to be able to wear the red and white for the Suzuka 8 Hours. It’s a massive honour for me to be able to run these colours, especially during the 70th anniversary for Yamaha. These colours mean a lot when I think about legendary colours. Like Agostini’s 1975 championship win in the iconic red and white of Yamaha. It’s a big pleasure to wear these fantastic colours at a race like the Suzuka 8 Hours.” — Jack Miller, Yamaha Racing Team

“I’m really happy to use this iconic colour for Yamaha, and I will be in the Suzuka 8 Hours with this colour. All the leathers, all the helmets will be ready for this race, and for sure it will be amazing for Yamaha’s 70th anniversary.” — Andrea Locatelli, Yamaha Racing Team

“Like the YZF450 that came before it, the YZF-R7 this livery is based on was a special machine designed as a base bike to win races with. I actually helped develop the R7, making some decisions on the frame rigidity and other areas. It was Yamaha’s first fuel-injected racebike, so in the first half of the JSB1000 season, I struggled on it, but in the second half, we got it right and won the title with it, so it holds a lot of memories for me. At that time, I was a factory rider, but even before that, when I was much younger, I remember seeing the factory teams using the red and white speed block designs, so it was something I really looked up to. I told myself that one day I’d be a factory rider and win the title on a bike like that. So back then, those colours gave me extra motivation. This year is Yamaha Motor’s 70th anniversary, and we’ll be racing a red and white machine once again in the 8 Hours. As a team, we haven’t competed here since 2019, and we’ll be aiming to fight at the front and take a victory worthy of this special anniversary livery.” — Wataru Yoshikawa, Yamaha Racing Team – Team Manager

credit: Yamaha Racing