Not only was it the trinity of MotoGP, BSB and WorldSBK championships that Yamaha will celebrate in late 2021, but there are a total of 7 championships returning to the headquarters in Iwata, Japan.
These include titles in MX2, MotoAmerica, WorldSSP, MFJ Superbike and of course Fabio Quartararo’s MotoGP title, the BSB title with Tarran Mackenzie (with a salute to Jason O’Halloran who leads most of the season before the showdown), and the WorldSBK title with Toprak Razgatlioglu.
With the exception of the MX2 machine, the few variations on the R1 machine are one of the best that have ever made it, right? While I fully acknowledge that the M1 isn’t quite an R1 … and to be honest, none of the above machines would realistically be found on the road.
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If there’s a nice little fact to anticipate, the last time the trio of ‘leading’ championships (MotoGP, BSB, WorldSBK) were won by a single manufacturer was in 2009 – and that was by Yamaha!
Could this be the beginning of a leadership position for Yamaha? Or will the brilliant success in 2021 prompt other manufacturers to put a little more budget into their racing programs in the future?
There’s a clear argument that Quartararo was a bit of an outlier on the 2021 M1 as the rest of the Yamahas were a little further down the pack … with Ducati on their backs. But that’s a conversation for another day – read this if you want more.
In any case, big congratulations to Yamaha – it’s an unforgettable year for their track racing team. Will they follow suit with some degree of dominance in road racing?