Yamaha Factory Racing History

Yamaha Factory Racing is Yamaha’s wholly owned full Factory Team in MotoGP. The team was founded in 1999 following the retirement of Grand Prix racing legend Wayne Rainey, who had run a factorysupported team in the 500cc class for the previous two years. A new company – Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. (YMR) – was set up in the Netherlands to manage all but the technical side of Yamaha’s international racing activities and to run the team.

In 2005, Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. as a company completed the move from the Netherlands in order to create a single Yamaha MotoGP European operation in Italy (Yamaha Motor Racing Srl), strengthening and centralising the management of the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team.

Yamaha Motor Racing Srl is based in Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), close to Monza. The workshop was rebuilt in 2008 and a state-of-the-art facility was opened, giving the team a superb new headquarters with all technical, logistical, managerial, and marketing & communications departments under one roof.

General Manager Motor Sports Development Division of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. Takahiro Sumi was appointed President of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl in 2022. This was also when the year the YMR workshop’s interior was further updated at the end of year, giving the engineers more space to work with.

In 2024, a change in management structure meant the responsibility for the technical aspects of MotoGP became shared between Yamaha’s MotoGP Group in Japan and the Italian MotoGP branch of Yamaha Motor Racing. Takahiro Sumi started working closely with newly-appointed Yamaha YZR-M1 Project Leader Kazuhiro Masuda. Additionally, Massimo Bartolini took on the role of Yamaha Factory Racing Technical Director, strengthening the collaboration between the two companies

2025 marks the start of a new era for YMR. Paolo Pavesio takes over the roles of Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Principal from Lin Jarvis, who held these positions since the start of Yamaha Factory Racing in 1999 until the end of 2024. Jarvis remains involved within YMR’s management and stays on as a Senior Advisor. Massimo Meregalli completes the YMR management as Team Director of the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team, a position he has held since 2011.

In 2025, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will again take on the prestigious MotoGP World Championship with riders Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins. However, they won’t be the sole Iwata Factory representatives: this year the new Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team and their riders Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller will join them under the Yamaha Factory Racing umbrella, and the brand new BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team make their debut in the Moto2 class with riders Tony Arbolino and Izan Guevara. The two Factory-supported Yamaha MotoGP Teams will occasionally be joined on track by the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team this season during test and wild card opportunities.

Furthermore, Yamaha Motor Company celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2025. Fans can look forward to Yamaha celebrating its rich racing heritage that is so deeply ingrained in the companies’ DNA.

Yamaha Factory Racing Statistics

2024

Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – 13th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums
Álex Rins (SPA) – 18th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums

2023

Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – 10th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 3 podiums
Franco Morbidelli (ITA) – 13th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums

2022

Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 3 wins and 8 podiums
Franco Morbidelli (ITA) – 19th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums

2021

Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – 1st MotoGP World Championship, 5 wins and 10 podiums
Maverick Viñales (SPA) – 1 win and 2 podiums
Cal Crutchlow (GBR) – 0 wins and 0 podiums
Franco Morbidelli (ITA) – 17th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 1 podium

2020

Maverick Viñales (SPA) – 6th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 3 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 15th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 1 podium

2019

Maverick Viñales (SPA) – 3th MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 7 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 7th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 2 podiums

2018

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 5 podiums
Maverick Viñales (SPA) – 4th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 5 podiums

2017

Maverick Viñales (SPA) – 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 3 wins and 7 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 5th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 6 podiums
Yamaha’s 500th Grand Prix Win – Rounds 5: Le Mans (Maverick Viñales)

2016

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 10 podiums
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 4 wins and 10 podiums
Team World Champion

2015

Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – 1st MotoGP World Championship, 7 wins and 12 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 4 wins and 15 podiums
Constructors World Champion - Team World Champion

2014

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 13 podiums
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 11 podiums

2013

Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) - 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 8 wins and 14 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) - 4th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 6 podiums

2012

Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) - 1st MotoGP World Championship, 6 wins and 16 podiums
Ben Spies (USA) - 10th MotoGP World Championship, 0 win and 0 podiums

2011

Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) - 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 3 wins and 10 podiums
Ben Spies (USA) - 5th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 4 podiums

2010

Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) - 1st MotoGP World Championship, 9 wins and 16 podiums
Valentino Rossi (ITA) - 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 10 podiums
Constructors World Champion - Team World Champion

2009

Valentino Rossi (ITA) - 1st MotoGP World Championship, 6 wins and 13 podiums
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) - 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 4 wins and 12 podiums
Constructors World Champion - Team World Champion

2008

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 1st MotoGP World Championship, 9 wins and 16 podiums
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – 4th MotoGP World Championship, 1 win and 6 podiums
Constructors World Champion - Team World Champion

2007

Valentino Rossi (ITA) - 3rd MotoGP World Championship, 4 wins and 8 podiums
Colin Edwards (USA) - 9th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 2 podiums

2006

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 5 wins and 10 podiums
Colin Edwards (USA) – 7th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 1 podium

2005

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 1st MotoGP World Championship, 11 wins and 16 podiums
Colin Edwards (USA) – 4th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 3 podiums
Team World Champion

2004

Valentino Rossi (ITA) – 1st MotoGP World Championship, 9 wins and 11 podiums
Carlos Checa (SPA) – 7th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 1 podium
Team World Champion

2003

Carlos Checa (SPA) – 7th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums
Marco Melandri (ITA) – 15th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 0 podiums

2002

Max Biaggi (ITA) – 2nd MotoGP World Championship, 2 wins and 8 podiums
Carlos Checa (SPA) – 5th MotoGP World Championship, 0 wins and 4 podiums

2001

Max Biaggi (ITA) – 2nd 500cc World Championship, 3 wins and 9 podiums
Carlos Checa (SPA) – 6th 500cc World Championship, 0 wins and 3 podiums

2000

Max Biaggi (ITA) – 3rd 500cc World Championship, 2 wins and 4 podiums
Carlos Checa (SPA) – 6th 500cc World Championship, 0 wins and 4 podiums

1999

Max Biaggi (ITA) – 4th 500cc World Championship, 1 win and 7 podiums
Carlos Checa (SPA) – 7th 500cc World Championship, 0 wins and 1 podium