Yamaha YZR-M1


The Yamaha YZR-M1 is an inline-four motorcycle specifically developed by Yamaha Motor Company to race in the current MotoGP series. It succeeded the YZR500 by the 2002 season and was originally developed with a engine. Since then, the YZR-M1 has been continuously developed into several iterations through the 990cc, 800cc and 1000cc eras of Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing.

2002–2003

was the first season which allowed 990 cc 4-strokes to be raced alongside 500 cc 2-strokes. In a change from their V-4 YZR500, Yamaha designed the YZR-M1 with an inline-4 engine because it was the format considered to have the best mutual balance with the frame. Also, Yamaha wanted to preserve the superior handling of the YZR500, so the M1's engine was designed to fit in a chassis developed around the basic structure of the YZR500. The M1 was outfitted with an electronic engine management system that controlled the engine braking endemic to 4-strokes. The new engine had 5 valves per cylinder, was fed by carburetors and began with a displacement of 942 cc; in the second half of the season it progressed up to the full 990 cc regulation limit. The frame design also evolved during the season, with adjustment of the engine mounting position and change in the fuel tank shape.
The M1 was test-ridden and developed by Max Biaggi, John Kocinski, Norihiko Fujiwara and Kyoji Namba throughout 2001. It was raced in the 2002 season by Biaggi and Carlos Checa on the factory team, and towards the end of the season M1s were also provided to Norifumi Abe, Olivier Jacque and Shinya Nakano. Biaggi achieved two wins and placed second in the final standings as did Yamaha in the manufacturers' championship.
In 2003, the engine went from carburetion to fuel injection, and the engine brake control system was replaced with an Idle Control System that automatically adjusted the throttle valve opening on two of the four cylinders to improve stability and handling during deceleration. M1 riders were Checa, Alex Barros, Olivier Jacque, Marco Melandri, Shinya Nakano and Norifumi Abe, and there were no wins and Yamaha came in third in the manufacturers' championship.

2004/2005

signed a two-year contract with Yamaha, reportedly worth in excess of US$6 million per season, in a move that was described by the press as "biting off more than he could chew". It was widely felt not only by his critics and media pundits, but also by many fans, that even he would not be able to bring the struggling YZR-M1 up to the level of the hereto all conquering Honda RC211V. A well publicised increase in the pace of development of the Honda machine over the winter season fuelled expectation that a Honda RC211V in the hands of riders the calibre of Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau would have no problem in retaining the World Title for Honda.
Meanwhile, Rossi wasn't the only defection Honda had to contend with; Jeremy Burgess, along with the majority of his long established crew, were convinced by Rossi to join him at Yamaha. This was a shrewd move, and was cited by Rossi in his autobiography as being instrumental in providing him with the strong basis necessary for launching an attack on the Championship with the YZR-M1.
During 2003/2004 winter testing, Yamaha stepped up to the plate by pulling out all the stops in their collaboration with Rossi and Burgess. Through a systematic regime of innovation and testing, they sought to refine the M1's traditionally strong traits such as good braking and quick handling, and marry them with good balance and transition to power. Working closely with Rossi and Burgess, Yamaha engineers under YZR-M1 project leader Koichi Tsuji experimented with a number of engine modifications in an attempt to fix the power delivery, and finally it was decided to go ahead with a four valve per cylinder head configuration, with a specially refined cylinder firing order. This turned the straight four cylinder engine from a traditional "screamer", where the power pulses are spaced equally in the four stroke cycle, into a so-called "long bang" engine where the power pulses are grouped unevenly across the cycle. This firing order mimics the constant kinetic energy of a V4 engine while maintaining the desirable engine packaging of a traditional inline four cylinder. These developments significantly improved the torque characteristics of the engine, and coupled with slight changes to the position of the engine in the chassis, made the M1 much easier to control at the limit of adhesion while exiting corners. After a frantic winter of development and testing, the team showed the world that they had made a significant step in the right direction, when Rossi and the M1 won the BMW car at the 2004 pre season IRTA test at Catalunya, by posting the fastest lap of the open session.
With the traditional first race of the season at Suzuka off the list due to safety considerations, the 2004 season started at Welkom in South Africa. In a quite remarkable race, Rossi came through to claim the victory, not only silencing his critics, but becoming the first man in history to win two GPs back to back with two different manufacturers. Rossi would go on to claim 8 more GP wins on his way to win the 2004 Championship, with a tally of 304 points. Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi took second and third with 257 and 217 points respectively.
The 2004 season would therefore unfold to give Rossi the opportunity he had sought; to prove that it was his talent rather than just the bike that had won him his championships. In so doing, he also achieved one of the great coups in the history of Motorcycle Racing.
The YZR-M1 and Rossi partnership continued to dominate in 2005, when the Championship was won by a massive 147 point margin over Honda rider Marco Melandri in second place. The 2005 M1 was hailed by insiders to be a great race bike, it illustrated that Yamaha with input from Rossi had created a race bike to beat the others quite easily. Rossi would go on later to say that the 2005 M1 was the greatest bike he has ever ridden.

2006

The 2006 season proved a little more problematic for Yamaha, with the M1 suffering from chatter from the very first race of the year. It would be a recurring problem for all Yamaha riders in the first third of the season, and was thought to be a function of three major winter season developments; namely a significant hike in engine power, a new stiffer chassis and a new construction of Michelin tyre with an even stickier compound and revised profile. Because all three developments occurred almost simultaneously, the usual meticulous testing of one development at a time was compromised and it would take much of the early season to understand and overcome the problems.
This setback for Yamaha and the YZR-M1 was largely responsible for Valentino Rossi's mediocre season start in 2006, manifest by poor qualifying performances and a brace of bad luck, he also suffered a wrist injury mid season, which added to his woes. In the final third of a memorable season, the M1's problems were virtually eradicated, and Valentino Rossi turned in a string of performances that would close down a large points gap on Championship leader Nicky Hayden aboard the Honda RC211V. It was only in the final race of the season that the M1 and Valentino Rossi were beaten by just five points and Yamaha relinquished the Championship back to Honda in the hands of Nicky Hayden, who only won two races that season. Hayden would later state that Rossi deserved to be the champion, but luck and DNFs cost him the championship. Valentino Rossi would win 5 races in 2006 to Nicky Hayden's 2, a fact that was well played during the off season.

[2007 [Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|2007]]

Regulations again changed for the 2007 season with the capacity of MotoGP machines reduced to 800 cc in an effort by the FIM to reduce the ever-increasing speeds of the 990 cc bikes ; therefore the YZR-M1 would continue in 2007 in 800 cc form. In post-2006 and in 2007 pre-season testing, the new 800 cc equipped YZR-M1 has been paradoxically quicker straight out of the box than the 990 cc version of the M1. This is by virtue of later, harder braking, quicker handling, higher corner speeds, and more controllable traction, and as the 2007 season got under way, the 800 cc YZR-M1 was expected to get quicker as its development continued.
The chatter that plagued the early 2006 YZR-M1 has been eliminated in the switch to 800 cc. While the main sponsor for the Official Factory Yamaha Team switched from Camel with their distinctive yellow and blue livery, to that of the Italian Motor Manufacturer Fiat. The team ran initially in a blue and white colour scheme and hinted at the unusual intention of running a variety of colour schemes throughout the season.
Casey Stoner won the 2007 Championship with the factory Ducati.

2008">2008 MotoGP season">2008

The 2008 YZR-M1 was regarded as the best all round bike in MotoGP. Rossi won the 2008 Championship, by a record margin and dominated podium finishes all season. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo managed a first ever Rookie win on the M1 at the Portuguese GP, and had 6 podium finishes. Many along with Rossi stated that the YZR-M1 was the best bike of 2008 season, something that was well proven during the heated battles Rossi had with Casey Stoner on the Ducati.

[2012 [Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|2012]]

For 2012 Season, Maximum engine capacity was increased to, with a limit of 4 cylinders and a maximum 81mm cylinder bore. Jorge Lorenzo won 2012 Championship, closely followed by Dani Pedrosa.

Specifications

Successes

These results are accurate up to the 2020 Andalucian Grand Prix.

Complete MotoGP results

YearTyresTeamNo.Rider12345678910111213141516171819Points
JPNRSASPAFRAITACATNEDGBRGERCZEPORRIOPACMALAUSVAL
Marlboro Yamaha Team3 Max BiaggiRet9DSQ324422162Ret1632152nd
Marlboro Yamaha Team7 Carlos Checa35RetRet433Ret452Ret5711Ret1415th
Marlboro Yamaha Team45 Wataru Yoshikawa12425th
Antena 3 Yamaha d'Antin6 Norifumi AbeDNS106 6th
Gauloises Yamaha Tech 319 Olivier JacqueRet8915 10th
Gauloises Yamaha Tech 356 Shinya Nakano613623 11th
JPNRSASPAFRAITACATNEDGBRGERCZEPORRIOPACMALAUSVAL
Gauloises Yamaha Team4 Alex Barros8553Ret88DNSRet71112615Ret61019th
Gauloises Yamaha Team19 Olivier Jacque151010410Ret5Ret91113Ret13DNS6Ret7112th
Fortuna Yamaha Team7 Carlos Checa109RetRet84468489Ret5851237th
Fortuna Yamaha Team33 Marco MelandriWD17151113RetRetRet10711511Ret4515th
Fortuna Yamaha Team17 Norifumi Abe11893116th
Yamaha Racing Team17 Norifumi Abe11103116th
d'Antin Yamaha Team56 Shinya Nakano91181455139714128987Ret10110th
RSASPAFRAITACATNEDRIOGERGBRCZEPORJPNQATMALAUSVAL
Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha7 Carlos Checa1062Ret4910Ret6657Ret91041177th
Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha46 Valentino Rossi144111Ret41212Ret1113041st
Fortuna Gauloises Tech 317 Norifumi Abe911Ret79118RetRet810Ret71217107413th
Fortuna Gauloises Tech 333 Marco Melandri11Ret693313Ret9Ret5RetRetRetRet7512th
SPAPORCHNFRAITACATNEDUSAGBRGERCZEJPNMALQATAUSTURVAL
Gauloises Yamaha Team5 Colin Edwards9683973248761046781794th
Gauloises Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi12111113111Ret211233671st
Fortuna Yamaha Team11 Rubén Xaus1810101214101211Ret13181015141214155216th
Fortuna Yamaha Team24 Toni Elías12141491391214911896107412th
Fortuna Yamaha Team94 David Checa191315426th
SPAQATTURCHNFRAITACATNEDGBRGERUSACZEMALAUSJPNPORVAL
Camel Yamaha Team5 Colin Edwards1199361251361291010Ret8491247th
Camel Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi1414RetRet11821Ret21322132472nd
Tech 3 Yamaha7 Carlos Checa1312151411158910971512Ret147107515th
Tech 3 Yamaha77 James Ellison1613181614169Ret1413131716161513142618th
QATSPATURCHNFRAITACATGBRNEDGERUSACZERSMPORJPNAUSMALVAL
FIAT Yamaha Team5 Colin Edwards63Ret1112121026411Ret91014910131249th
FIAT Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi2110261241Ret47Ret11335Ret2413rd
Dunlop Yamaha Tech 36 Makoto Tamada161414Ret9151215131381714Ret121618153818th
Dunlop Yamaha Tech 350 Sylvain Guintoli151515131014141614Ret1313121441419115016th
QATESPPORCHNFRAITACATGBRNEDGERUSACZERSMINDJPNAUSMALVAL
Tech 3 Yamaha5 Colin Edwards7Ret4735543Ret1414101578861447th
Tech 3 Yamaha52 James Toseland66712Ret6617911913618116Ret1110511th
Fiat Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi52311122112111112133731st
Fiat Yamaha Team48 Jorge Lorenzo23142Ret66RetRet102344Ret81904th
QATJPNSPAFRAITACATNEDUSAGERGBRCZEINDRSMPORAUSMALVAL
Monster Yamaha Tech 35 Colin Edwards4127767479275Ret551341615th
Monster Yamaha Tech 352 James Toseland1691397136DSQ106961091415129214th
Sterilgarda Yamaha Team11 Ben Spies7920th
Fiat Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi221163112151Ret142323061st
Fiat Yamaha Team99 Jorge Lorenzo31Ret122232RetRet121Ret432612nd
QATESPFRAITAGBRNEDCATGERUSACZEINDRSMARAJPNMALAUSPORVAL-
Monster Yamaha Tech 35 Colin Edwards81212139811Ret77Ret7125NC771210311th
Monster Yamaha Tech 311 Ben Spies5RetRet7346864265845DNS41766th
Fiat Yamaha Team8 Wataru Yoshikawa15122nd
Fiat Yamaha Team46 Valentino Rossi132DNS435436313232333rd
Fiat Yamaha Team99 Jorge Lorenzo2112111211324432113831st
QATESPPORFRACATGBRNEDITAGERUSACZEINDRSMARAJPNAUSMALVAL
Yamaha Factory Racing1 Jorge Lorenzo21242Ret612244132DNS2602nd
Yamaha Factory Racing11 Ben Spies6RetRet63Ret145453656DNSC21765th
Yamaha Factory Racing89 Katsuyuki NakasugaC61018th
Monster Yamaha Tech 35 Colin Edwards8Ret613DNS37910887131385C1099th
Monster Yamaha Tech 335 Cal Crutchlow1188Ret7DNS14Ret14RetRet1110911RetC47012th
Monster Yamaha Tech 341 Josh Hayes7919th
QATESPPORFRACATGBRNEDGERITAUSAINDCZERSMARAJPNMALAUSVAL
Monster Yamaha Tech 34 Andrea Dovizioso554731933343443413462184th
Monster Yamaha Tech 335 Cal Crutchlow4458565865Ret3Ret4RetRet3Ret1517th
Yamaha Factory Racing11 Ben Spies11118161054411RetRetRet55RetRet8810th
Yamaha Factory Racing99 Jorge Lorenzo122111Ret2122212222Ret3501st
Yamaha Factory Racing21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga22718th
Yamaha YSP Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga92718th
QATAMEESPFRAITACATNEDGERUSAINDCZEGBRRSMARAMALAUSJPNVAL
Yamaha YSP Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga11522nd
Monster Yamaha Tech 335 Cal Crutchlow54523Ret327517766647Ret1885th
Monster Yamaha Tech 338 Bradley SmithRet121099696Ret8Ret9117768711610th
Yamaha Factory Racing46 Valentino Rossi26412Ret41334444343642374th
Yamaha Factory Racing99 Jorge Lorenzo1337115DNS63311231113302nd
QATAMEARGESPFRAITACATNEDGERINDCZEGBRRSMARAJPNAUSMALVAL
YAMALUBE Racing Team with YSP21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga12426th
Monster Yamaha Tech 338 Bradley SmithRet57810Ret10819692275935141218th
Monster Yamaha Tech 344 Pol EspargaróRet689457Ret75Ret6668Ret661366th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino Rossi2842232543331Ret31222952nd
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP99 Jorge LorenzoRet103462413322221123Ret2633rd
QATAMEARGSPAFRAITACATNEDGERINDCZEGBRRSMARAJPNAUSMALVAL
Yamaha Factory Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga8823rd
Monster Yamaha Tech 338 Bradley Smith86686557667728710461816th
Monster Yamaha Tech 344 Pol Espargaró9Ret8576Ret5878RetRet9Ret8951149th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino Rossi1313232133315324343252nd
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP99 Jorge Lorenzo445111134214Ret132213301st
QATARGAMEESPFRAITACATNEDGERAUTCZEGBRRSMARAJPNAUSMALVAL
Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga11523rd
Monster Yamaha Tech 322 Alex Lowes13RetDNS324th
Monster Yamaha Tech 338 Bradley Smith881712Ret7Ret13139Ret1381496217th
Monster Yamaha Tech 344 Pol Espargaró767851554Ret1013DNS9865961348th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino Rossi42Ret12Ret1Ret842323Ret2242492nd
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP99 Jorge Lorenzo1Ret2211Ret1015317832Ret6312333rd
QATARGAMEESPFRAITACATNEDGERCZEAUTGBRRSMARAJPNAUSMALVAL
Monster Yamaha Tech 35 Johann ZarcoRet554275149125615984321746th
Monster Yamaha Tech 323 Broc Parkes220NC
Monster Yamaha Tech 331 Kohta NozaneRet0NC
Monster Yamaha Tech 360 Michael van der Mark16170NC
Monster Yamaha Tech 394 Jonas Folger1061187136Ret210RetDNS9168410th
Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga12426th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP25 Maverick Viñales11Ret61210Ret436244939122303rd
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino Rossi32210Ret48154735Ret2752085th
QATARGAMEESPFRAITACATNEDGERCZEAUTGBRRSMARATHAJPNAUSMALVAL
Monster Yamaha Tech 35 Johann Zarco8262Ret1078979C101456Ret371586th
Monster Yamaha Tech 355 Hafizh Syahrin149Ret161212Ret18111416C19181210Ret10104616th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP25 Maverick Viñales652778633Ret12C5103714Ret1934th
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino Rossi319453335246C7844618131983rd
Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team89 Katsuyuki Nakasuga14226th
2019QATARGAMEESPFRAITACATNEDGERCZEAUTGBRRSMARATHAJPNAUSMALVAL
2019 Monster Yamaha Factory Racing12 Maverick Viñales7Ret113Ret6Ret1210533434Ret162113rd
2019 Monster Yamaha Factory Racing46 Valentino Rossi52265RetRetRet8644488Ret8481747th
2019 Petronas Yamaha SRT20 Fabio Quartararo1687Ret81023Ret73Ret2522Ret721925th
2019 Petronas Yamaha SRT21 Franco Morbidelli11Ret577RetRet59Ret1055Ret66116Ret11510th
2020SPAANCCZEAUTSTYRSMEMICATFRAARATEREURVAL
2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP12 Maverick Viñales2240*2nd*
2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP46 Valentino RossiRet316*6th*
2020 Petronas Yamaha SRT20 Fabio Quartararo1150*1st*
2020 Petronas Yamaha SRT21 Franco Morbidelli5Ret11*5th*

* Season still in progress.