Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams & Riders Won Two AMA Pro Road Racing Championships And Multiple Other Awards For Excellence In 20142014-09-19 22:26The 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing season has come and gone, and again, it was a highly successful racing campaign for the riders, crewmembers, support staff, team partners, and sponsors who make up the Yamaha U.S. Road Racing Teams. The Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 motorcycles dominated the entry lists, grid sheets, podiums, and Championship points standings in the three AMA Pro racing classes in which the bikes compete. Keith McCarty, Motorsports Racing Division Manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., commented “What an amazing year it was for Yamaha, our riders, our sponsors, and all the hard-working individuals who make up our road racing teams. The Yamaha R1 and R6 are the two best-selling motorcycles in their categories here in the U.S., and the phenomenal racing success of our teams is a huge reason for the equally phenomenal sales success of those two bikes. Congratulations to our riders and teams, and a big thank you to them from all of us at Yamaha for so perfectly achieving the racing excellence that is a long-standing hallmark of the Yamaha brand.” AMA Pro SuperBike In the top echelon of AMA Pro Road Racing--which is, of course, SuperBike--Josh Hayes, aboard his Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1, showed that #4 on his bike was an omen. On the strength of his 7 race wins and 3 second-place finishes out of 11 races this season, Josh captured his fourth AMA Pro SuperBike Championship in the past five years, and all of his four titles have been won while racing for Yamaha aboard the R1. He also won two additional awards this season, including the 2014 Cortech SuperBike Performance Edge Award and the 2014 Sunoco SuperBike Go the Distance Award. New to the Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha SuperBike team this season was 2013 AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Adapting quickly from the R6 that he raced to 12 victories in 13 races last year, Cameron piloted his #2 R1 to 3 race wins, 7 podium finishes, and two pole positions this season. He finished third in the 2014 SuperBike Championship and was named the 2014 Next Moto Champion Rider of the Year. The Yamaha R1 not only won its fifth consecutive SuperBike Championship, but this season, it took the checkered flag in 10 of the 11 races, which netted Yamaha the 2014 SuperBike Manufacturer Championship and Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha the 2014 SuperBike Team Championship. In addition, Josh Hayes’ Crew Chief Jim Roach was named the 2014 SuperBike Crew Chief of the Year. AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike In Daytona SportBike (DSB), RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha R6 rider Jake Gagne won the 2014 Championship, and the top three finishers in the season points standing all raced Yamaha R6s this season, collectively tallying 8 out of 10 wins this year. Second-place finisher this season was Jake Lewis, who raced an R6 for MotoSport.com/Meen Yamaha, and 18-year-old Jake was awarded the 2014 Roadracing World Young Gun Award. Newcomer to the DSB class, Tomas Puerta, a member of the RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha team was awarded the 2014 Saddlemen Daytona SportBike Rookie of the Year Award. With the top three riders in the 2014 DSB Championship points standings each aboard Yamaha R6s, Yamaha won the DSB Manufacturer Championship. In addition, RoadRace Factory/Red Bull Yamaha won the 2014 DSB Team Championship, and Jake Gagne’s Crew Chief Scott Jensen was named the 2014 DSB Crew Chief of the Year. AMA Pro SuperSport In AMA Pro SuperSport, HSBK Racing’s Dustin Dominguez just missed out on the 2014 SuperSport Championship by a mere 2 points, and he finished second in the final standings aboard his Yamaha R6. De Keyrel Racing’s Kaleb De Keyrel, who also raced an R6 in the SuperSport Championship, was awarded the 2014 Cortech Shoei Tommy Aquino Spirit Award. Watch All Of Our Yamaha “Fast Four” Videos From The 2014 Season Throughout the season, Yamaha has created YouTube playlists containing all the videos from each round of the 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing Season. To re-live the season in vivid motion and vibrant sound, visit the Yamaha Motor USA YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCisRQ4lWvs6p8lZfmZzsv8g Source: Yamaha Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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