From a press release issued by Yamaha:

Yamaha Motor Racing will again play host to its popular Yamaha Racing Training event –– which takes place between March 21 and 25 at the Nogaro circuit in France.

This year’s event is open to competitors having a racing license and running either a 2004 model YZF-R1 or a 2003/2004 model YZF-R6 in a recognised national or European Superbike, Supersport or Superstock championship. What is so unusual about the Yamaha Race Training – in short YRT – is that the event is free of charge. The only costs incurred by participants are traveling to and from the event, overnight accommodation, food, fuel, tyres and other machine consumables.

Yamaha Motor Racing’s technical coordinator (and former GP and World Supersport winner) Wilco Zeelenberg is hosting the event. Wilco is joined by race engineers from Yamaha’s Japanese headquarters, Yamaha service staff and technicians from some of the leading tyre and suspension manufacturers, while the hospitality set up from the Yamaha Belgarda World Supersport team will provide participants a warm central home for the duration of the event.

YRT first saw the light of day in the mid-nineties as a classroom-based programme for racing customers. It was reintroduced last year at the Almeria circuit in southern Spain, with a new format that combined the theory with practical assistance in the form of free track time.

Last year’s YRT proved an undoubted success, with competitors from 11 countries traveling to Spain. The main difference between the 2003 and 2004 events, apart from the more central location, is that this year the event has been opened up to R1 riders, due in no small part to the high number of competitors choosing to race the for 2004 new 1000cc model in the Superbike, Endurance and Superstock classes. This year’s format also offers participants more track time, with one day of theory and three days on track.

Yamaha’s theory tuition will ensure that the competitors get the most out of their new steeds and the YEC (Yamaha Engineering Corporation) kit parts, while the free track time acknowledges the fact that it can often be difficult for national level riders to get sufficient practice to go into the season with a bike set-up they are totally confident in.

“National riders sometimes only get 20 or 25 minute practice sessions before races,” explains Zeelenberg. “That makes it especially important for them to find the correct set-up quickly. If they follow our guidelines they should be able to find good settings for every track, and go faster quicker.”

Registration

Competitors wishing to find out more information about YRT or who wish to register should contact their national Yamaha distributor prior to 23rd February. Details of local distributors can be found on the Yamaha Motor Europe website http://www.yamaha-motor-europe.com or can be obtained by contacting us by the following email address: [email protected]