Yamaha Motor Racing, also known as Yamaha Factory Racing and now racing as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, is Yamaha’s official factory team in MotoGP. It was founded in 1999 and has been based in Italy since 2002.
Yamaha Motor Racing at a glance
| Team | Yamaha Motor Racing / Yamaha Factory Racing |
|---|---|
| Current name | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Base | Netherlands originally, Italy since 2002 |
| First riders | Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa |
| First bikes | Yamaha YZR500, then YZR-M1 from 2002 |
| Rossi era | 2004–2010 and 2013– |
| Titles | Rossi, Lorenzo (2015), Quartararo |
| V4 engine | tested at Brno in 2025, full debut in 2026 |
| 2027 riders | Jorge Martín and Ai Ogura |
Based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the Yamaha Motor Racing
The team was founded in 1999 after Wayne Rainey retired. Rainey had run a factory-supported team in the 500 cc class for the previous two years, following earlier works-supported efforts run by Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini. The new team was originally based in the Netherlands but moved to Italy in 2002.
Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa raced for the team from 1999 to 2002. Biaggi took eight race wins, first on the Yamaha YZR500 and then on the Yamaha YZR-M1 in 2002. In 2003 Checa was joined by Marco Melandri in a season without podiums. Valentino Rossi arrived for 2004, won nine races and took the championship; Colin Edwards joined in 2005, when Rossi won again with eleven wins. Rossi and Edwards stayed for 2006, Rossi winning five races and finishing second, and in 2007 the team moved to the 800 cc YZR-M1, with Rossi third and four wins.
Jorge Lorenzo joined Rossi in 2008, and although the two rode for different tyre suppliers they operated as one team. Rossi won nine of 18 races and took the title, while Lorenzo won at Estoril and finished fourth. In 2009 Yamaha dominated: Rossi won the championship, Lorenzo was second, the pair won 12 of 17 races and Yamaha took the Constructors’ Championship. Rossi left for Ducati in 2011 and 2012 and returned in 2013. Lorenzo won the 2015 title, and after a six-year wait Fabio Quartararo brought the championship back.
Yamaha tested a V4 engine at Brno on 1–2 July 2025 with Andrea Dovizioso, and the engine was due to make its full debut in 2026 on all four factory and Pramac bikes. On 30 June 2026 the team announced that Quartararo and Alex Rins would leave at the end of the season, and a day later that Jorge Martín and Ai Ogura would join from Aprilia for 2027.
Design and features
- Factory status: Yamaha’s official MotoGP entry, now under the Monster Energy banner.
- Italian base: the team moved from the Netherlands to Italy in 2002.
- Championship record: titles with Rossi, Lorenzo and Quartararo.
- V4 future: a new engine tested in 2025 and raced from 2026.
Yamaha Motor Racing versions
- Yamaha YZR500 era (1999–2001): the last 500 cc two-stroke seasons.
- YZR-M1 990 cc and 800 cc eras: the four-stroke championship years.
- Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP: the current team name and livery.
- V4 era (from 2026): a new engine layout for the whole Yamaha grid.
The team races the YZR-M1, a machine related to Yamaha’s production sport bikes such as the YZF-R1. More models are in the Yamaha collection.
Sources
- Yamaha Motor Racing, English Wikipedia: team history, riders, titles, V4 programme, 2027 line-up
