Honda vs. Yamaha: Old Foes, New Tech

Honda vs. Yamaha: Old Foes, New Tech

© 2019, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Featured in the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World:

         Honda and Yamaha have dominated premier-class Grand Prix racing for the last four decades, winning 33 of the last 36 Rider World Championships and 35 of the last 36 Constructor World Championships.

        Honda entered the 500cc class in 1966, contested two seasons, withdrew for a decade, returned in 1979 and has fought for the crown of kings every year since 1983. Yamaha joined the contest in the early 1970s and has never left. 

        So far the 500cc/MotoGP numbers look like this: Honda has 20 rider titles and 24 constructor titles since 1966. Yamaha has 17 rider titles and 14 constructor titles since 1975. Honda is undoubtedly the stronger force right now, winning six of the last eight Rider World Championships, with Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez, and eight of the last nine Constructor World Championships with the RC212V and RC213V.

        Yamaha’s YZR-M1 has been mostly in the doldrums since the change to spec electronics and Michelin tires in 2016. But the Iwata factory is planning a major fightback for 2020 …

–Old Foes, New Tech/MotoGP Analysis, by Mat Oxley

In the highly restricted world of MotoGP engineering, details make the difference between the top step of the podium and bottom of the top 10. MotoGP Editor Mat Oxley looks at the details that differentiate the two heavyweights in the MotoGP ring. Get an inside look at MotoGP’s longest-standing rivalry in the September issue of Roadracing World!

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