Yamaha News,ENG,No.3,2007,8月,8月,Street Smart,MotoGP: The M1 at Mid-season,Motorcycle,MotoGP,YZR-M1,Up Front,Trackinʼ – the first half of the 2007 MotoGP season,Koichi Tsuji,YZR500,The 800cc YZR-M1 debuts in August 2006,Kenny Roberts,Trial and error through the winter tests and the satisfying “BMW Award”,Eddie Lawson,The season opener in Qatar and the problems it revealed,Valentino Rossi,Defeats at the Turkey and China GPs followed by victory in Italy,Yamaha shows its strength at Dutch GP,Looking back on the first half and on to the highlights of the second half,Yamahaʼs 150th victory in the premier class of WGP road racing,Racing Express,Four rounds left to Yamahaʼs 7th consecutive title!,Racing,MX1,Josh Coppins,Thereʼs no stopping the Cairoli express!,MX2,Antonio Cairoli,Entering the second half with a shot at the top!,WSB,Yamaha Motor Italia WSB,Noriyuki Haga,Parkes moving up,WSS,Troy Corser,Kevin Curtain,Broc Parkes,World Topics,Hong Leong Co. Holdings top managers visit YMC,Hong Leong Corporation Holdings Pte. Ltd.,Kwek Leng Peck,Japan,Hoe Boon,Kajikawa,Hong Leong Yamaha Motor celebrates 2,000,000th bike roll-out,Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia,Sungai Buloh assembly plant,Yamaha supports Africa Outside Edge Expedition to fight malaria,McCarthy Limited,Kingsley Holgate,South Africa,Visit of members of the German parliament at YMG,Yamaha Motor Deutschland GmbH,Naoki Hayashi,Germany,2nd CSR Meeting in Asia held in Singapore,CSR,CSR Meeting,Singapore,Yamaha Motor Group Risk Management & Compliance Policy,9th Latin American Importer Convention held,Latin American Importer Convention,Chile,Yamaha South Pacific Regional Meeting 2007 in Japan,Yamaha South Pacific Regional Meeting 2007,YMKI nationwide service campaign,PT. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia,Indonesia,First South American CSR meeting held in Brazil,Brazil,Successful media preview for the 2008 Raptor 250 ATV,ATV,Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA,Mike Martinez,Raptor 250,U.S.A.,New campaign to make Yamaha the customersʼ “Only One” brand,Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co., Ltd.,Vino,Taiwan,YAMAHA Future Innovation,YMMC celebrates 2 million units production milestone,Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation,What's New,Five groups named winners in Yamahaʼs 32nd President Awards,President Awards,Communication Plaza,e-EG Strategy (next-generation small engine strategy) and product development and implementation,e-EG Strategy,Realization and spread of motorcycle ETC use,Building a mother assembly line embodying theoretical-figure manufacturing,The adoption of the DiASil Cylinder in motorcycle engines due to technological development and transfer to overseas manufacturing bases,Introduction of a 4-stroke PWC model and building the foundation for business profitability by expanding the 4-stroke model line,Zoom In,“YDR” sets a new par for the course,Golf Car,YDR,A strategic global model

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.AUGUST 1, 2007 ENGLISH

No.3

MotoGP: The M1 at Mid-seasonBehind every victory in the MotoGP is adrama of teamwork involving literallyhundreds of specialists. Here is an inside lookat the machine development efforts behind thenew 800cc YZR-M1 told by Yamaha’s M1Project Leader.

2 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 3

season. So, all our team’s effortswere focused on developing the990cc machine. The 800cc machinetest amounted to little more than ver-ifying the development progress thathad been made up until that point.Still, Rossi commented after the testthat although it didn’t have as muchpower as the 990cc machine, the dri-vability was excellent. So, I definite-ly recall a sense of relief at knowingthat our chassis and engine develop-ment directions were apparently notwrong.”

Trial and error through the wintertests and the satisfying “BMWAward” Rossi proved himself again by takingthe lead in the 2006 season rankingin the second to the last round, onlyto lose the title to Hayden due to afall in the final race and finish theseason ranked 2nd. Spurred on bythat frustrat ing result , Yamahafocused all its efforts from that pointon the development of the new800cc YZR-M1. Then, on January22 of the new year, the various mak-ers brought their new 800ccmachines together for the first time

The 800cc YZR-M1 debuts inAugust 2006It was in June of 2005 that the FIM(International Motorcyclist Federa-tion) announced a major regulationchange that would be effective fromthe 2007 season. The new regulationwould reduce the maximum enginedisplacement from 990cc to 800cc.From that t ime, Yamaha begandevelopment of the new 800cc YZR-M1 in parallel with the season’s raceactivities. The format that the devel-opment team chose for the 800ccrace engine was an in-line-4. “We thought about other configura-tions and numbers of cylinders butwe decided on the in-line-4 becausethe new 800cc spec was going to

mean big changes in the demands forthe chassis, engine and tires, so webelieved that keeping as many of theproven specs and formats as possiblethe same would help us adapt morequickly to the new regulation,” saidProject Leader Tsuji. The 800cc YZR-M1 made its firstappearance on the track on August21, 2006, in the test sessions held theday after the Czech GP. “We were not in any position to beeither delighted or disappointed withthat test,” continues Mr. Tsuji. “Wewere in the midst of a tough cam-paign to win the 2006 season titleand were trailing the leader Hayden(Honda) at that stage by 38 pointswith just five races remaining in the

TTrraacckkiinn’’ –– tthhee ffiirrsstt hhaallff ooff tthhee 22000077 MMoottooGGPP sseeaassoonnat the official test session at the Sep-ang Circuit, Malaysia. “During the winter tests, both Rossiand Edwards were riding well andthe machine development was goingwell. Meanwhile, we were naturallyconcerned about the lap times of ourrivals. We felt that there would beless of a gap between the factoryteams this time and the smallest dif-ferences might become the margin ofvictory. So, we were putting all ourefforts into an accelerated enginedevelopment program. In order toget the same kind of performancefrom an engine with roughly 20%less displacement than the 990ccengine, it would be natural to thinkthat we would have to increase theengine rpm by 20%. Of course, thatis not an easy thing to do, but wecontinued to work on detail improve-ments that could raise the rpm, evenif it was only 100 rpm at a time. As aresult of these efforts, Rossi andEdwards won 1st and 3rd in the“BMW Awards” for progress inengine and chassis setting and tiredevelopment for the months of Feb-ruary and March. That gave us confi-dence that we were ready for the2007 season opener and could expectgood results throughout the season.”

The season opener in Qatarand the problems it revealedYamaha went into the season openerwith confidence and Rossi andEdwards lived up to expectations bytaking pole position and 3rd respec-tively in the qualifying. But the finalbrought an unexpected result. “Ston-er (Ducati) outran Rossi by roughly2 seconds after a race-long battle.The winning factor was a clearadvantage in engine performance,”says Tsuji. “There hadn’t been a bigdifference in performance during thepre-season tests, but in the first raceI believe there was a 10 to 15 km/hrdifference in speed. This really mademe and the engineers realize we hada problem. It was a real shock for us,and the confidence we had from thepre-season test results disappeared inan instant. But, on the other hand,the chassis problems that hadplagued us during the 2006 seasonseemed to be solve. So, that left uswith one clear focus for our develop-ment work, one vector that we couldall work on, and I think that was animportant thing we gained from thatfirst defeat. From there it was decid-ed that we would work to improvethe engine performance, solving oneproblem at a time.”

*Majesty is a Japanese market model only

TTrraacckkiinn’’ –– tthhee ffiirrsstt hhaallff ooff tthhee 22000077 MMoottooGGPP sseeaassoonn

In round nine of the 2007 MotoGP series, the Dutch GP at Assen on June 30th, Valentino Rossi started from 11th position onthe starting grid and raced to a thrilling come-from-behind victory. This important win placed him in 2nd position in the sea-son ranking with a clear shot at the title as the series entered its second half. In the Up Front feature of this edition of YamahaNews we go behind the scenes of the MotoGP to talk to Yamaha’s MotoGP Group YZR-M1 development Project LeaderKoichi Tsuji about the first half of the 2007 season. * From an interview on July 3, 2007

At the tests the day after the Czech GP in Aug. 2006

Project Leader Tsuji (front left) and Rossi (front right)

2 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 3

season. So, all our team’s effortswere focused on developing the990cc machine. The 800cc machinetest amounted to little more than ver-ifying the development progress thathad been made up until that point.Still, Rossi commented after the testthat although it didn’t have as muchpower as the 990cc machine, the dri-vability was excellent. So, I definite-ly recall a sense of relief at knowingthat our chassis and engine develop-ment directions were apparently notwrong.”

Trial and error through the wintertests and the satisfying “BMWAward” Rossi proved himself again by takingthe lead in the 2006 season rankingin the second to the last round, onlyto lose the title to Hayden due to afall in the final race and finish theseason ranked 2nd. Spurred on bythat frustrat ing result , Yamahafocused all its efforts from that pointon the development of the new800cc YZR-M1. Then, on January22 of the new year, the various mak-ers brought their new 800ccmachines together for the first time

The 800cc YZR-M1 debuts inAugust 2006It was in June of 2005 that the FIM(International Motorcyclist Federa-tion) announced a major regulationchange that would be effective fromthe 2007 season. The new regulationwould reduce the maximum enginedisplacement from 990cc to 800cc.From that t ime, Yamaha begandevelopment of the new 800cc YZR-M1 in parallel with the season’s raceactivities. The format that the devel-opment team chose for the 800ccrace engine was an in-line-4. “We thought about other configura-tions and numbers of cylinders butwe decided on the in-line-4 becausethe new 800cc spec was going to

mean big changes in the demands forthe chassis, engine and tires, so webelieved that keeping as many of theproven specs and formats as possiblethe same would help us adapt morequickly to the new regulation,” saidProject Leader Tsuji. The 800cc YZR-M1 made its firstappearance on the track on August21, 2006, in the test sessions held theday after the Czech GP. “We were not in any position to beeither delighted or disappointed withthat test,” continues Mr. Tsuji. “Wewere in the midst of a tough cam-paign to win the 2006 season titleand were trailing the leader Hayden(Honda) at that stage by 38 pointswith just five races remaining in the

TTrraacckkiinn’’ –– tthhee ffiirrsstt hhaallff ooff tthhee 22000077 MMoottooGGPP sseeaassoonnat the official test session at the Sep-ang Circuit, Malaysia. “During the winter tests, both Rossiand Edwards were riding well andthe machine development was goingwell. Meanwhile, we were naturallyconcerned about the lap times of ourrivals. We felt that there would beless of a gap between the factoryteams this time and the smallest dif-ferences might become the margin ofvictory. So, we were putting all ourefforts into an accelerated enginedevelopment program. In order toget the same kind of performancefrom an engine with roughly 20%less displacement than the 990ccengine, it would be natural to thinkthat we would have to increase theengine rpm by 20%. Of course, thatis not an easy thing to do, but wecontinued to work on detail improve-ments that could raise the rpm, evenif it was only 100 rpm at a time. As aresult of these efforts, Rossi andEdwards won 1st and 3rd in the“BMW Awards” for progress inengine and chassis setting and tiredevelopment for the months of Feb-ruary and March. That gave us confi-dence that we were ready for the2007 season opener and could expectgood results throughout the season.”

The season opener in Qatarand the problems it revealedYamaha went into the season openerwith confidence and Rossi andEdwards lived up to expectations bytaking pole position and 3rd respec-tively in the qualifying. But the finalbrought an unexpected result. “Ston-er (Ducati) outran Rossi by roughly2 seconds after a race-long battle.The winning factor was a clearadvantage in engine performance,”says Tsuji. “There hadn’t been a bigdifference in performance during thepre-season tests, but in the first raceI believe there was a 10 to 15 km/hrdifference in speed. This really mademe and the engineers realize we hada problem. It was a real shock for us,and the confidence we had from thepre-season test results disappeared inan instant. But, on the other hand,the chassis problems that hadplagued us during the 2006 seasonseemed to be solve. So, that left uswith one clear focus for our develop-ment work, one vector that we couldall work on, and I think that was animportant thing we gained from thatfirst defeat. From there it was decid-ed that we would work to improvethe engine performance, solving oneproblem at a time.”

*Majesty is a Japanese market model only

TTrraacckkiinn’’ –– tthhee ffiirrsstt hhaallff ooff tthhee 22000077 MMoottooGGPP sseeaassoonn

In round nine of the 2007 MotoGP series, the Dutch GP at Assen on June 30th, Valentino Rossi started from 11th position onthe starting grid and raced to a thrilling come-from-behind victory. This important win placed him in 2nd position in the sea-son ranking with a clear shot at the title as the series entered its second half. In the Up Front feature of this edition of YamahaNews we go behind the scenes of the MotoGP to talk to Yamaha’s MotoGP Group YZR-M1 development Project LeaderKoichi Tsuji about the first half of the 2007 season. * From an interview on July 3, 2007

At the tests the day after the Czech GP in Aug. 2006

Project Leader Tsuji (front left) and Rossi (front right)

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 5

Defeats at the Turkey and ChinaGPs followed by victory in Italy Going into round two, the Spain GP, theteam had a lot of prior data from pre-racetests and Rossi raced well to get his firstwin of the season. Edwards also came in3rd to put the Yamaha teammates on thewinners’ podium. “The win at Jerez wassomething we expected, but knowing thatthe following Turkey and China GPs wereboth on high-speed circuits brought ourfocus once again on the speed disadvan-tage we had seen in round one,” recallsTsuji. The resulting improved versions of theengine narrowed the speed gap with thetop runner, but it wasn’t enough to put theYamaha riders on the victory podium atthe Turkey, China and France GPs.“Those three races were really hard for us.But there was no time to look back, andeveryone on the team went into the ItalianGP with a strong determination to regainwhat had been lost,” Tsuji says. “At thesame time there was the extreme pressureof knowing that this was a race we simplycould not afford to lose.” The Yamaha team overcame that pressureand won in Italy, and when Rossi finished2nd at the next round is Catalunya, it wasclear that the Yamaha factory team wasback in contention for the title. But a fail-ure to get a good wet-condition tire choiceat the following British GP made Rossistruggle to finish 4th. This didn’t help inlessening the gap in the series point rank-

ing and put pressure on the team onceagain as they prepared for the next round,Dutch GP.

Yamaha shows its strength atDutch GPIn the Dutch GP at Assen there was a dif-ferent atmosphere in the Yamaha campand Rossi came through to show a bril-liant race that demonstrated the true over-all strength of the YZR-M1. “In the rainy qualifying, Rossi was onlyable to struggle in at 11th place, and I cansay honestly that we thought it was goingto be a difficult race,” recalls Tsuji. “Butthe team’s determination to never give upuntil its over helped to produce a machineset-up that was perfect for the Assencourse. Rossi went out and recoveredmuch of the ground he had lost by havingto start in 11th position during the earlystages of the race. And by the middlestages he had moved into 2nd position andbegan chasing Stoner in the lead. Turningin lap times close to his personal best inthe 1 min. 37 second range by pressinghard at all the important points, Rossi wasfinally able to catch and overtake Stonerin the closing stages of the race and takethe win.”“In short, this race proved the overall racestrength of the YZR-M1 as a good, easy-handling machine with performance thatenables the rider to run consistently fastlaps throughout the race, even as the tireswear, the fuel gets used up and the riderbattles with his rivals. It was truly a victo-ry worthy of the great milestone Rossibrought Yamaha that day in the form ofYamaha’s 150th victory in the premierclass of World GP road racing. This victo-ry also brought us engineers renewed con-

The main switch in the center of the console turns the elec-trical system on and off and the opening switches on theright and left operate the left-hand side front compartmentlock, the seat lock and the fuel tank lid lock

fidence and symbolized the great coopera-tive efforts of everyone involved in theteam.”

Looking back on the first half and onto the highlights of the second half“When we have top riders like we do onour team, producing winning results iseverything. That is because we have liter-ally hundreds of people working behindus, not only the engineers and test staff butalso the people at the companies that sup-ply our parts, tires, oil and fuel. Andbecause we are only able to race thanks totheir efforts. When we win, I am full offeelings of relief and gratitude that wehave been able to repay their efforts. Per-sonally, I am only able to savor the joy ofvictory for a few seconds after the check-ered, because immediately after that I amalready thinking about the next race. Thework of finding ways to run even fasterand win the next race begins right away,”he adds. From August 18th the second half of theMotoGP series begins. At the end ofround nine, Rossi stood 2nd in the seasonranking, 21 points behind the leader, Ston-er. Compared to last year when Rossistood 35 points behind the leader at theend of the mid-season British GP, there isstill a strong chance that Rossi will winthe title. “One of the important points of the secondhalf of the season for us is the Czech GP.This race is on a course that is well suitedfor examining the machine’s performancein all areas, from the chassis and engine tothe fuel economy and handling. If we canget the machine to perform well there, weshould be in a good position to competefor the win in the remaining rounds. Iknow I’m going to have to work hard tohelp bring Yamaha fans the kind of resultsthey are hoping for. Throughout the sea-son, there isn’t a moment when my note-book computer isn’t within reach, evenwhen I sleep. That season is now only halfover,” he concludes.

1st 2nd3rd7th

C. StonerV. RossiD. PedrosaC. Edwards

Rd. 11st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)6th (10)

Rd. 25th (11)1st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)

Rd. 31st (25)10th (6)No finishNo finish

Rd. 41st (25)2nd (20)4th (13)11th (5)

Rd. 53rd (16)6th (10)4th (13)12th (4)

Rd. 64th (13)1st (25)2nd (20)12th (4)

Rd. 71st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)10th (6)

Rd. 81st (25)4th (13)8th (8)

2nd (20)

Rd. 92nd (20)1st (25)4th (13)6th (10)

Rd. 10 5th (11)No finish1st (25)4th (13)

Total19616414488

Koichi Tsuji, MotoGP group / YZR-M1 development Project LeaderMr. Tsuji joined the company in 1986 and worked initially in enginedevelopment in Yamaha’s Automotive Operations. In 1989 he joinedthe Yamaha F1 team as an engineer. In November of 2003 he movedto the MotoGP group to work on engine development. In 2006 he wasassigned the post of Project Leader for the YZR-M1 and becameinvolved in MotoGP competition.

( ) shows points won

2007 MotoGP Rider Ranking (as of round 10)

The 9th round of the 2007 MotoGP series,the Dutch GP, was won by Valentino Rossi(Italy) of the Fiat Yamaha Team. This vic-tory was the momentous 150th win byYamaha riders in the premier class ofWorld GP road racing (former GP500 classand current MotoGP). Yamaha entered itsfirst World GP race in 1961. In 1973,Yamaha began competing with factorymachines in the premier class, the GP500class. Since then, numerous riders havewon races on Yamaha factory machines,with the largest number going to Rossi at28 wins, followed by Eddie Lawson (USA)with 26, Wayne Rainey (USA) with 24 andKenny Roberts (USA) with 22. Yamaha isdetermined to continue its campaign in theworld’s premier class toward its 200th winand then its 300th and to continue bringingKando* to motorcycle fans everywhere. * Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings ofdeep satisfaction and intense excitement that people experiencewhen they encounter something of exceptional value.

Yamaha’s 150th victory in the premier class of WGP road racing

Kenny Roberts won three consec-utive GP500 titles in 1978 - ‘80

A GP500 factory machine

Eddie Lawson won 26 GP500races on the YZR500, the recordat the time

Rossi won Yamaha’s 150th victory and he is expectedto win more

Wayne Rainey won Yamaha its100th victory

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 5

Defeats at the Turkey and ChinaGPs followed by victory in Italy Going into round two, the Spain GP, theteam had a lot of prior data from pre-racetests and Rossi raced well to get his firstwin of the season. Edwards also came in3rd to put the Yamaha teammates on thewinners’ podium. “The win at Jerez wassomething we expected, but knowing thatthe following Turkey and China GPs wereboth on high-speed circuits brought ourfocus once again on the speed disadvan-tage we had seen in round one,” recallsTsuji. The resulting improved versions of theengine narrowed the speed gap with thetop runner, but it wasn’t enough to put theYamaha riders on the victory podium atthe Turkey, China and France GPs.“Those three races were really hard for us.But there was no time to look back, andeveryone on the team went into the ItalianGP with a strong determination to regainwhat had been lost,” Tsuji says. “At thesame time there was the extreme pressureof knowing that this was a race we simplycould not afford to lose.” The Yamaha team overcame that pressureand won in Italy, and when Rossi finished2nd at the next round is Catalunya, it wasclear that the Yamaha factory team wasback in contention for the title. But a fail-ure to get a good wet-condition tire choiceat the following British GP made Rossistruggle to finish 4th. This didn’t help inlessening the gap in the series point rank-

ing and put pressure on the team onceagain as they prepared for the next round,Dutch GP.

Yamaha shows its strength atDutch GPIn the Dutch GP at Assen there was a dif-ferent atmosphere in the Yamaha campand Rossi came through to show a bril-liant race that demonstrated the true over-all strength of the YZR-M1. “In the rainy qualifying, Rossi was onlyable to struggle in at 11th place, and I cansay honestly that we thought it was goingto be a difficult race,” recalls Tsuji. “Butthe team’s determination to never give upuntil its over helped to produce a machineset-up that was perfect for the Assencourse. Rossi went out and recoveredmuch of the ground he had lost by havingto start in 11th position during the earlystages of the race. And by the middlestages he had moved into 2nd position andbegan chasing Stoner in the lead. Turningin lap times close to his personal best inthe 1 min. 37 second range by pressinghard at all the important points, Rossi wasfinally able to catch and overtake Stonerin the closing stages of the race and takethe win.”“In short, this race proved the overall racestrength of the YZR-M1 as a good, easy-handling machine with performance thatenables the rider to run consistently fastlaps throughout the race, even as the tireswear, the fuel gets used up and the riderbattles with his rivals. It was truly a victo-ry worthy of the great milestone Rossibrought Yamaha that day in the form ofYamaha’s 150th victory in the premierclass of World GP road racing. This victo-ry also brought us engineers renewed con-

The main switch in the center of the console turns the elec-trical system on and off and the opening switches on theright and left operate the left-hand side front compartmentlock, the seat lock and the fuel tank lid lock

fidence and symbolized the great coopera-tive efforts of everyone involved in theteam.”

Looking back on the first half and onto the highlights of the second half“When we have top riders like we do onour team, producing winning results iseverything. That is because we have liter-ally hundreds of people working behindus, not only the engineers and test staff butalso the people at the companies that sup-ply our parts, tires, oil and fuel. Andbecause we are only able to race thanks totheir efforts. When we win, I am full offeelings of relief and gratitude that wehave been able to repay their efforts. Per-sonally, I am only able to savor the joy ofvictory for a few seconds after the check-ered, because immediately after that I amalready thinking about the next race. Thework of finding ways to run even fasterand win the next race begins right away,”he adds. From August 18th the second half of theMotoGP series begins. At the end ofround nine, Rossi stood 2nd in the seasonranking, 21 points behind the leader, Ston-er. Compared to last year when Rossistood 35 points behind the leader at theend of the mid-season British GP, there isstill a strong chance that Rossi will winthe title. “One of the important points of the secondhalf of the season for us is the Czech GP.This race is on a course that is well suitedfor examining the machine’s performancein all areas, from the chassis and engine tothe fuel economy and handling. If we canget the machine to perform well there, weshould be in a good position to competefor the win in the remaining rounds. Iknow I’m going to have to work hard tohelp bring Yamaha fans the kind of resultsthey are hoping for. Throughout the sea-son, there isn’t a moment when my note-book computer isn’t within reach, evenwhen I sleep. That season is now only halfover,” he concludes.

1st 2nd3rd7th

C. StonerV. RossiD. PedrosaC. Edwards

Rd. 11st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)6th (10)

Rd. 25th (11)1st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)

Rd. 31st (25)10th (6)No finishNo finish

Rd. 41st (25)2nd (20)4th (13)11th (5)

Rd. 53rd (16)6th (10)4th (13)12th (4)

Rd. 64th (13)1st (25)2nd (20)12th (4)

Rd. 71st (25)2nd (20)3rd (16)10th (6)

Rd. 81st (25)4th (13)8th (8)

2nd (20)

Rd. 92nd (20)1st (25)4th (13)6th (10)

Rd. 10 5th (11)No finish1st (25)4th (13)

Total19616414488

Koichi Tsuji, MotoGP group / YZR-M1 development Project LeaderMr. Tsuji joined the company in 1986 and worked initially in enginedevelopment in Yamaha’s Automotive Operations. In 1989 he joinedthe Yamaha F1 team as an engineer. In November of 2003 he movedto the MotoGP group to work on engine development. In 2006 he wasassigned the post of Project Leader for the YZR-M1 and becameinvolved in MotoGP competition.

( ) shows points won

2007 MotoGP Rider Ranking (as of round 10)

The 9th round of the 2007 MotoGP series,the Dutch GP, was won by Valentino Rossi(Italy) of the Fiat Yamaha Team. This vic-tory was the momentous 150th win byYamaha riders in the premier class ofWorld GP road racing (former GP500 classand current MotoGP). Yamaha entered itsfirst World GP race in 1961. In 1973,Yamaha began competing with factorymachines in the premier class, the GP500class. Since then, numerous riders havewon races on Yamaha factory machines,with the largest number going to Rossi at28 wins, followed by Eddie Lawson (USA)with 26, Wayne Rainey (USA) with 24 andKenny Roberts (USA) with 22. Yamaha isdetermined to continue its campaign in theworld’s premier class toward its 200th winand then its 300th and to continue bringingKando* to motorcycle fans everywhere. * Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings ofdeep satisfaction and intense excitement that people experiencewhen they encounter something of exceptional value.

Yamaha’s 150th victory in the premier class of WGP road racing

Kenny Roberts won three consec-utive GP500 titles in 1978 - ‘80

A GP500 factory machine

Eddie Lawson won 26 GP500races on the YZR500, the recordat the time

Rossi won Yamaha’s 150th victory and he is expectedto win more

Wayne Rainey won Yamaha its100th victory

EXPRESSRA

CIN

GEXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

When we last reported on the title charge ofYamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins, hehad compiled a strong lead in the point rank-ing at the end of round five of the 2007 MX1series, 43 points ahead of 2nd place K.Strijbos (Suzuki). In an interview before round 6, the Japan GP,Coppins said he was taking the season onerace at a time and not thinking about the title,except in trying to expand his point lead asmuch as possible before the final stages ofthe title race. And to do that, he was practic-ing harder than ever.Since breaking into the top ten in the WorldMotocross Championships for the first timein 1999, Josh has had several shots at the titlebut was never able to win it. That is why he isso determined to win the title this year and istraining and racing hard to realize the dreamthat has evaded him for so long. True to his words, Coppins has worked hardand widened his lead in the middle stages ofthe season. After a podium finish in 3rd at theJapan GP, Coppins came back to win roundsseven and eight, the France GP and BulgariaGP, and further expand his season lead. In round nine, the Sweden GP, he failed tomount the podium for the first time this yearwith 5th place (4th and 6th in the two heats).

In the post-race press conference he promisedthat he would come back even stronger thanbefore at the next race. If anything, his deter-mination to win the title is only growing asthe season progresses. As of the end of round 11 Coppins has a 77-

point lead in the season ranking, with justfour rounds remaining that should be a com-fortable margin. But you can be sure that JoshCoppins will keep racing full speed towardhis first World Championship title and the7th consecutive one for Yamaha.

As of the end of round nine of the 2007 World Supersport series, the tworiders of the Yamaha World Supersport Team have had a rough season.Both riders, Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes suffered broken collar bonesat round three, the Europe Round at Donington Park. They both compet-ed in the next round and Parkes managed to finish 5th, but Curtain

crashed again and has remained out of the competition through round nine.Parkes started the season well with a 2nd and 3rd in the first two rounds respectively. In round eight onJune 17 he mounted the podium again with another 2nd that bodes well for a strong comeback in theremainder of the season.

It wasn’t until round six of the 2007 MX2series, the Japan GP, that Antonio Cairoli’sfantastic string of five straight GP wins sincethe season opener came to a stop. Even then,he won one of the heats and finished 3rd in the

other to claim 2nd on the day with his trade-mark “Wide Open” riding style. He thrilled theJapanese fans with another show of his aggres-sive, crowd-pleasing racing that has put him atthe pinnacle of his sport and has made theWorld Motocross Championships such anexciting arena this year. Returning to Europe, Cairoli continued to racefull throttle, winning both heats start-to-finishand completely dominating the competition atround seven, the France GP. He amazedeveryone again at round nine in Sweden whenhe came back from a fall just after the start touse his full deck of riding lines to pass 28competitors and finish the race in 2nd. It was arace that gave a new definition to racing“Wide Open.” By the end of round 11, Antonio had won anincredible 17 of the 22 heats competed in thefirst 11 GPs and stood atop the season rankingwith a commanding 122-point lead over 2ndplace C. Pourcel (Kawasaki). All eyes are onthe amazing Cairoli express to see just how farand how fast he can go.

MX

1

There’s no stopping the Cairoli express!There’s no stopping the Cairoli express!

Four rounds left to Yamaha’s7th consecutive title! Four rounds left to Yamaha’s7th consecutive title!

MX

2

In the first 11 rounds of the season, Coppins has had ninepodium finishes including five overall wins

Yamaha and Cairoli signed a new 3-year contract for 2008 and beyond

WSB Entering the second half

with a shot at the top!Entering the second halfwith a shot at the top!

At the end of the ninth round of the World Superbikeseries, the Czech Round, the Yamaha Motor ItaliaWSB team’s Noriyuki Haga stands in 3rd position inthe season ranking and his teammate Troy Corser is in5th place, with four races left in the season. These Yamaha teammates have mounted the podiumtogether twice this season, at round three, theEuropean Round at Donington Park, UK, and atround seven, the British Round at Silverstone. Theyhave also consistently made solo podium finishes tokeep Yamaha’s presence in the WSB a strong one. The sixth round in Italy at Monza was a good exam-

ple. There, Haga scored a perfect victory by winning both races. In race one he was in 6th position after thestart but fought his way up to 2nd position and then won the battle with the leader to take the checkered. Inthe second race he was again behind at the start but passed one competitor after another to move into 2ndposition by lap 3 and grab the lead in lap 7 to claim his 2nd win. It was a perfect weekend for Haga as hewon the pole position, both races and also scored the fastest lap. With four races left in the season, Haga will be fighting to win his first WSB title and Corser his second,after his 2005 title.

After an unfortunate no-finish at the Japan GP and beingunable to start at round nine in Sweden, Marc de Reuverstands 14th in the season ranking

WSS Parkes moving upParkes moving up

As of round nine, Parkesis in 8th position with 50points

Leading the Yamaha riders, Haga is in 3rd position in the ranking, 45points back from the leader

EXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

When we last reported on the title charge ofYamaha Motocross Team’s Josh Coppins, hehad compiled a strong lead in the point rank-ing at the end of round five of the 2007 MX1series, 43 points ahead of 2nd place K.Strijbos (Suzuki). In an interview before round 6, the Japan GP,Coppins said he was taking the season onerace at a time and not thinking about the title,except in trying to expand his point lead asmuch as possible before the final stages ofthe title race. And to do that, he was practic-ing harder than ever.Since breaking into the top ten in the WorldMotocross Championships for the first timein 1999, Josh has had several shots at the titlebut was never able to win it. That is why he isso determined to win the title this year and istraining and racing hard to realize the dreamthat has evaded him for so long. True to his words, Coppins has worked hardand widened his lead in the middle stages ofthe season. After a podium finish in 3rd at theJapan GP, Coppins came back to win roundsseven and eight, the France GP and BulgariaGP, and further expand his season lead. In round nine, the Sweden GP, he failed tomount the podium for the first time this yearwith 5th place (4th and 6th in the two heats).

In the post-race press conference he promisedthat he would come back even stronger thanbefore at the next race. If anything, his deter-mination to win the title is only growing asthe season progresses. As of the end of round 11 Coppins has a 77-

point lead in the season ranking, with justfour rounds remaining that should be a com-fortable margin. But you can be sure that JoshCoppins will keep racing full speed towardhis first World Championship title and the7th consecutive one for Yamaha.

As of the end of round nine of the 2007 World Supersport series, the tworiders of the Yamaha World Supersport Team have had a rough season.Both riders, Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes suffered broken collar bonesat round three, the Europe Round at Donington Park. They both compet-ed in the next round and Parkes managed to finish 5th, but Curtain

crashed again and has remained out of the competition through round nine.Parkes started the season well with a 2nd and 3rd in the first two rounds respectively. In round eight onJune 17 he mounted the podium again with another 2nd that bodes well for a strong comeback in theremainder of the season.

It wasn’t until round six of the 2007 MX2series, the Japan GP, that Antonio Cairoli’sfantastic string of five straight GP wins sincethe season opener came to a stop. Even then,he won one of the heats and finished 3rd in the

other to claim 2nd on the day with his trade-mark “Wide Open” riding style. He thrilled theJapanese fans with another show of his aggres-sive, crowd-pleasing racing that has put him atthe pinnacle of his sport and has made theWorld Motocross Championships such anexciting arena this year. Returning to Europe, Cairoli continued to racefull throttle, winning both heats start-to-finishand completely dominating the competition atround seven, the France GP. He amazedeveryone again at round nine in Sweden whenhe came back from a fall just after the start touse his full deck of riding lines to pass 28competitors and finish the race in 2nd. It was arace that gave a new definition to racing“Wide Open.” By the end of round 11, Antonio had won anincredible 17 of the 22 heats competed in thefirst 11 GPs and stood atop the season rankingwith a commanding 122-point lead over 2ndplace C. Pourcel (Kawasaki). All eyes are onthe amazing Cairoli express to see just how farand how fast he can go.

MX

1

There’s no stopping the Cairoli express!There’s no stopping the Cairoli express!

Four rounds left to Yamaha’s7th consecutive title! Four rounds left to Yamaha’s7th consecutive title!

MX

2

In the first 11 rounds of the season, Coppins has had ninepodium finishes including five overall wins

Yamaha and Cairoli signed a new 3-year contract for 2008 and beyond

WSB Entering the second half

with a shot at the top!Entering the second halfwith a shot at the top!

At the end of the ninth round of the World Superbikeseries, the Czech Round, the Yamaha Motor ItaliaWSB team’s Noriyuki Haga stands in 3rd position inthe season ranking and his teammate Troy Corser is in5th place, with four races left in the season. These Yamaha teammates have mounted the podiumtogether twice this season, at round three, theEuropean Round at Donington Park, UK, and atround seven, the British Round at Silverstone. Theyhave also consistently made solo podium finishes tokeep Yamaha’s presence in the WSB a strong one. The sixth round in Italy at Monza was a good exam-

ple. There, Haga scored a perfect victory by winning both races. In race one he was in 6th position after thestart but fought his way up to 2nd position and then won the battle with the leader to take the checkered. Inthe second race he was again behind at the start but passed one competitor after another to move into 2ndposition by lap 3 and grab the lead in lap 7 to claim his 2nd win. It was a perfect weekend for Haga as hewon the pole position, both races and also scored the fastest lap. With four races left in the season, Haga will be fighting to win his first WSB title and Corser his second,after his 2005 title.

After an unfortunate no-finish at the Japan GP and beingunable to start at round nine in Sweden, Marc de Reuverstands 14th in the season ranking

WSS Parkes moving upParkes moving up

As of round nine, Parkesis in 8th position with 50points

Leading the Yamaha riders, Haga is in 3rd position in the ranking, 45points back from the leader

Japan

On April 23, Executive Director Kwek Leng Peck andGeneral Manager Hoe Boon Meng of Singapore’sYamaha motorcycle distributor, Hong Leong Corpora-tion Holdings Pte. Ltd., visited the YMC headquarters inJapan and met with YMC’s President TakashiKajikawa. Tours of the 1st Iwata Factory gave the visi-tors renewed appreciation of the manufacturing excel-lence and wide range of products YMC produces. Intheir meeting, President Kajikawa expressed his appre-ciation of the success of Hong Leong in motorcyclesales during 2006, when Yamaha won top marketshare in Singapore. From Masayoshi Ono, YMC

Hong Leong Co. Holdings topmanagers visit YMC

YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 9

We always welcome your contributions. Write to the editorial staff

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

USA

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA(YMUS) made effective use of a sneakpreview for the press of Yamaha’snewest Sport ATV, the new Raptor 250, in order to maximize press coveragefor the model’s July 1 launch. Designed from the wheels up as a sportsmachine, the Raptor 250 is the first ATV in its segment that is not derived froma utility model. Weighing in at just 313 lbs. (142.3 kg) dry, it is the lightest full-size sport ATV available and has the responsive handling to match. “The Rap-tor 250 is in a class by itself," said Mike Martinez, General Manager of ATVand SxS operations at YMUS. "We designed this vehicle with the aggressive,entry-level Sport ATV rider in mind. Nothing else in the market compares.” From Bob Starr, YMUS, USA

Japan

From May 22 to 25, YMC’sOverseas Market Develop-ment Operations (OMDO)organized a meeting for dis-tributors from the SouthPacific region attended by20 representatives from 14countries. With its timelyand detailed response todistributor needs and high-quality products, Yamaha has won a dominant market position in theSouth Pacific region. The focus of this meeting was on ways to main-tain and build on this position by continuing to achieve customer satis-faction and the sales strategies for the outboard motors that are themain products in the market. All the participants joined in activeexchange of information and opinions on these vital issues. From Akiko Hama, OMDO, YMC

Yamaha South Pacific RegionalMeeting 2007 in Japan

Successful mediapreview for the2008 Raptor 250ATV

To have your topic included in Yamaha News World Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the

contents, making sure to specify who,

what, when, where, why and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution pho-

tos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the

20th of odd-numbered months will be

considered for the next issue.

Notice of when your article will appear inYN will be made after the editing process.Send your articles to us by e-mail, theeditorial staff, at the address below.

E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

Germany

Within the Lower House of the German parlia-ment (Bundestag) there is a motorcycle ridinggroup. The members of this group are politiciansand Bundestag staff. For the past eight years,this group has organized an annual four-daytouring trip. On this year’s trip around 240 people traveling on around 200bikes started from Berlin on May 17th and ended on May 20th in Düsseldorf.On the final day the group visited the headquarters of Yamaha MotorDeutschland GmbH (YMG), where they were welcomed by YMG’s president,Mr. Naoki Hayashi, and the mayor of the city of Neuss. Also, Mr. MinoruMorimoto, vice president of YMG, joined the tour. The guests were given the chance to test motorcycles and scooters as wellas having a passenger ride on a Rhino Side x Side. They also visited theYamaha World Supersport Team to see the racing workshop and talk to therider Broc Parkes. From Karlheinz Vetter, YMG, Germany

Visit of members ofthe German parlia-ment at YMG

Indonesia

Again this year, Yamaha motorcycle distribu-tor PT. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia(YMKI) held a “Yamaha Integrated Cam-paign” for Yamaha motorcycle owners andcustomers thinking of buying a Yamaha astheir next bike. From April to July, this cam-

paign reached 100 locations around the country and provided freeinspections and oil changes for 50,000 motorcycles. One of the goals of the campaign was to teach customers the impor-tance of regular maintenance and daily checks in order to get the mostenjoyment and longer life from their Yamaha. YMKI will continue toconduct these campaigns so that customers will “Buy because it’s aYamaha” and “Buy Yamaha again next time.” From Takashi Harada, YMKI, Indonesia

YMKI nationwideservice campaign

Taiwan

In Taiwan, a market with one of the highest motorcycle ownership rates inthe world and strict emissions regulations, Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co., Ltd.(YMT) aims to have all the motorcycles it produces fitted with fuel injection(FI) by the year 2009. To link this eco-friendly stance to the Yamahaimage, a new branding campaign was launched on July 10 in the capital,Taipei. Taking the FI of fuel injection,the campaign’s new brand slogan is“YAMAHA Future Innovation.” Its mes-sage is that Yamaha is the brand withadvanced technology, social responsibil-ity (CSR) and stylish products. The largecontingent of press, dealers and YMTrepresentatives also applauded theunveiling of the company’s first FI-fitted“Vino” scooter.

New campaign to make Yamahathe customers’ “Only One” brand

Brazil

From May 14, Yamaha Motor do Brasil Ltda.(YMDB) hosted the first South American CSRmanager meeting, which was attended by 21 rep-resentatives in charge of CSR (corporate socialresponsibility) programs at six Yamaha Motorgroup companies from the region. The first day’sagenda focused on Yamaha Motor group policy inthe vital CSR areas of risk management and com-pliance. From the second day, workshops wereheld on the individual areas of human rights andlabour standards issues, IT and financial account-ing practices. The meeting also deepened rela-tions between CSR representatives from the

region’s group compa-nies. From Tomoko Kakehi,CSR Planning Div., YMC

First South AmericanCSR meeting held inBrazil

The Bundestag group visited YMGon about 200 bikes

YMG president, Mr. NaokiHayashi (center in jeans), wel-comed the parliamentarians andBundestag staff

From right: Hong LeongCo. Holdings ExecutiveDirector Kwek, YMC’sPresident Kajikawa andGeneral Manager Hoe

Singapore

On June 5, nineteen CSR leadersfrom eight Yamaha Motor groupcompanies gathered in Singaporefor the 2nd CSR (corporate socialresponsibility) Meeting in Asia. Asthe first priority, the Yamaha MotorGroup Risk Management & Com-pliance Policy was introduced anddiscussed and each representative presented a middle term review of theircompanies’ '07 Risk Management Activities that have been carried out inaccordance with aims set at the 1st CSR Meeting in Asia in 2006. Thesereports were followed by active exchange of opinions concerning best prac-tices for the second half of this year and various issues concerning CSR.From Tomoko Kakehi, CSR Planning Div., YMC

2nd CSR Meeting in Asia heldin Singapore

The 2nd CSR Meeting in Asia brought together 19CSR leaders from 8 group companies

Malaysia

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia (HLYM) celebrated a major corpo-rate milestone on 5th June, 2007, with theroll-out of its 2,000,000th unit of locallyassembled motorcycles at its Sungai Bulohassembly plant. The roll-out ceremony wasofficiated by the Minister of InternationalTrade & Industry, Yang Berhormat Dato’ SeriRafidah Aziz with Mr. Takahiko Takeda,Executive Officer/Senior General Manager ofYamaha Motor Co., Ltd., in attendance

together with vendors, dealers and corporate guests. Since the one millionmark was passed in 1994, HLYM Malaysia has proved its commitment tomanufacturing excellence by achieving triple certifications of ISO9002, TPMExcellent Award 1st Category and ISO14001. With annual motorcycledemand exceeding a level of 450,000 units, popular models like the T135LCand T110 are helping the company expand its market share.From Masahiko Arika, HLYM, Malaysia

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor cele-brates 2,000,000th bike roll-out

The Minister of International Trade &Industry, Yang Berhormat Dato’ SeriRafidah Aziz (3rd from left) partic-ipated in the event

Chile

On May 23 and 24, a total of 51 representa-tives from 12 Latin American countries andJapan gathered in the Chilean capital, Santi-ago, for the 9th Latin American ImporterConvention. Each importer’s delegationmade presentations concerning their mar-keting goals, model dealership programsand midterm goals, and information wasshared about plans and best practices.There was virtually unanimous consensus inthe reports from all countries about the rapidgrowth of their markets and the aggressivesales goals they intend to pursue to makethe most of the present growth opportunities. From Toshiyuki Hikawa, YMC

51 delegates from 13 nations attendedthe 9th Latin American Importer Con-vention

9th Latin Ameri-can ImporterConvention held

South Africa

On the 19th of April, the legendary National Geographic explorer, Kingsley Holgate visited the offices of distribu-tor McCarthy Limited to thank the company for its contribution of Yamaha outboard motors and generators tosupport his campaign to fight malaria. Holgate will circumnavigate the African continent over the course of one

year distributing mosquito nets and educating local people about preventative measuresto fight the major health crisis of malaria in Africa today. In areas not inflicted with the cur-rent malaria epidemic, Holgate’s expedition will distribute educational materials for schoolchildren and reading glasses for people with poor eyesight. From Hideki Yamanaka, Southern African Group, OMDO, YMC

Kingsley Holgate (2nd from right) with (from left) Alan North, Greg Bennett, andKelvin Thomas of McCarthy Limited and a Yamaha generator they donated

Yamaha supports Africa Outside Edge Expedition to fight malaria

The Raptor 250 is built from the wheels up as apure sports model

The participants in Yamaha South Pacific RegionalMeeting

The YMKI free inspection cam-paign reached 100 locationsnationwide

USA

On June 18, YamahaMotor Manufacturing Cor-poration (YMMC) held aceremony to celebrateachieving the two millionvehicle production mark.Since its founding in 1986and start of production in1988, YMMC has producedover 600,000 units each ofYamaha personal watercraft, Golf Cars and ATVs and over120,000 units of SSVs (side-by-side 4-wheeled vehicles). Attend-ing the ceremony from Japan were YMC’s President Kajikawaand President Shiraishi of YMC’s RV Company. RepresentingYMUS was President Adachi. Everyone praised the efforts of theYMMC employees and the Yamaha people of the past and pre-sent who have contributed to this great milestone. Now YMMCwill be focusing on ambitious new goals for the future. From Yoshihiko Ido, YMMC, USA

YMMC celebrates 2 millionunits production milestone

Representatives from six South Amer-ican Yamaha Motor group compa-nies discussed CSR activity

From left, Mr. McMillan (YMMC VP), Mr.Shiraishi (RV Co. President), Mr. Kajikawa(YMC President), Mr. Adachi (YMUS Presi-dent), Mr. Iio (YMMC President) at the cere-mony

The ceremony was attended by some 60members of the press and many dealers.Surrounding the new FI-equipped Vino aretop management including YMT PresidentHiroyuki Yoshino, Yamaha Motor R&DTaiwan Co., Ltd. (YMRT) President Kuni-hiko Miwa and the campaign participants

Japan

On April 23, Executive Director Kwek Leng Peck andGeneral Manager Hoe Boon Meng of Singapore’sYamaha motorcycle distributor, Hong Leong Corpora-tion Holdings Pte. Ltd., visited the YMC headquarters inJapan and met with YMC’s President TakashiKajikawa. Tours of the 1st Iwata Factory gave the visi-tors renewed appreciation of the manufacturing excel-lence and wide range of products YMC produces. Intheir meeting, President Kajikawa expressed his appre-ciation of the success of Hong Leong in motorcyclesales during 2006, when Yamaha won top marketshare in Singapore. From Masayoshi Ono, YMC

Hong Leong Co. Holdings topmanagers visit YMC

YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007 9

We always welcome your contributions. Write to the editorial staff

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

USA

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA(YMUS) made effective use of a sneakpreview for the press of Yamaha’snewest Sport ATV, the new Raptor 250, in order to maximize press coveragefor the model’s July 1 launch. Designed from the wheels up as a sportsmachine, the Raptor 250 is the first ATV in its segment that is not derived froma utility model. Weighing in at just 313 lbs. (142.3 kg) dry, it is the lightest full-size sport ATV available and has the responsive handling to match. “The Rap-tor 250 is in a class by itself," said Mike Martinez, General Manager of ATVand SxS operations at YMUS. "We designed this vehicle with the aggressive,entry-level Sport ATV rider in mind. Nothing else in the market compares.” From Bob Starr, YMUS, USA

Japan

From May 22 to 25, YMC’sOverseas Market Develop-ment Operations (OMDO)organized a meeting for dis-tributors from the SouthPacific region attended by20 representatives from 14countries. With its timelyand detailed response todistributor needs and high-quality products, Yamaha has won a dominant market position in theSouth Pacific region. The focus of this meeting was on ways to main-tain and build on this position by continuing to achieve customer satis-faction and the sales strategies for the outboard motors that are themain products in the market. All the participants joined in activeexchange of information and opinions on these vital issues. From Akiko Hama, OMDO, YMC

Yamaha South Pacific RegionalMeeting 2007 in Japan

Successful mediapreview for the2008 Raptor 250ATV

To have your topic included in Yamaha News World Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the

contents, making sure to specify who,

what, when, where, why and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution pho-

tos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the

20th of odd-numbered months will be

considered for the next issue.

Notice of when your article will appear inYN will be made after the editing process.Send your articles to us by e-mail, theeditorial staff, at the address below.

E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

Germany

Within the Lower House of the German parlia-ment (Bundestag) there is a motorcycle ridinggroup. The members of this group are politiciansand Bundestag staff. For the past eight years,this group has organized an annual four-daytouring trip. On this year’s trip around 240 people traveling on around 200bikes started from Berlin on May 17th and ended on May 20th in Düsseldorf.On the final day the group visited the headquarters of Yamaha MotorDeutschland GmbH (YMG), where they were welcomed by YMG’s president,Mr. Naoki Hayashi, and the mayor of the city of Neuss. Also, Mr. MinoruMorimoto, vice president of YMG, joined the tour. The guests were given the chance to test motorcycles and scooters as wellas having a passenger ride on a Rhino Side x Side. They also visited theYamaha World Supersport Team to see the racing workshop and talk to therider Broc Parkes. From Karlheinz Vetter, YMG, Germany

Visit of members ofthe German parlia-ment at YMG

Indonesia

Again this year, Yamaha motorcycle distribu-tor PT. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia(YMKI) held a “Yamaha Integrated Cam-paign” for Yamaha motorcycle owners andcustomers thinking of buying a Yamaha astheir next bike. From April to July, this cam-

paign reached 100 locations around the country and provided freeinspections and oil changes for 50,000 motorcycles. One of the goals of the campaign was to teach customers the impor-tance of regular maintenance and daily checks in order to get the mostenjoyment and longer life from their Yamaha. YMKI will continue toconduct these campaigns so that customers will “Buy because it’s aYamaha” and “Buy Yamaha again next time.” From Takashi Harada, YMKI, Indonesia

YMKI nationwideservice campaign

Taiwan

In Taiwan, a market with one of the highest motorcycle ownership rates inthe world and strict emissions regulations, Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co., Ltd.(YMT) aims to have all the motorcycles it produces fitted with fuel injection(FI) by the year 2009. To link this eco-friendly stance to the Yamahaimage, a new branding campaign was launched on July 10 in the capital,Taipei. Taking the FI of fuel injection,the campaign’s new brand slogan is“YAMAHA Future Innovation.” Its mes-sage is that Yamaha is the brand withadvanced technology, social responsibil-ity (CSR) and stylish products. The largecontingent of press, dealers and YMTrepresentatives also applauded theunveiling of the company’s first FI-fitted“Vino” scooter.

New campaign to make Yamahathe customers’ “Only One” brand

Brazil

From May 14, Yamaha Motor do Brasil Ltda.(YMDB) hosted the first South American CSRmanager meeting, which was attended by 21 rep-resentatives in charge of CSR (corporate socialresponsibility) programs at six Yamaha Motorgroup companies from the region. The first day’sagenda focused on Yamaha Motor group policy inthe vital CSR areas of risk management and com-pliance. From the second day, workshops wereheld on the individual areas of human rights andlabour standards issues, IT and financial account-ing practices. The meeting also deepened rela-tions between CSR representatives from the

region’s group compa-nies. From Tomoko Kakehi,CSR Planning Div., YMC

First South AmericanCSR meeting held inBrazil

The Bundestag group visited YMGon about 200 bikes

YMG president, Mr. NaokiHayashi (center in jeans), wel-comed the parliamentarians andBundestag staff

From right: Hong LeongCo. Holdings ExecutiveDirector Kwek, YMC’sPresident Kajikawa andGeneral Manager Hoe

Singapore

On June 5, nineteen CSR leadersfrom eight Yamaha Motor groupcompanies gathered in Singaporefor the 2nd CSR (corporate socialresponsibility) Meeting in Asia. Asthe first priority, the Yamaha MotorGroup Risk Management & Com-pliance Policy was introduced anddiscussed and each representative presented a middle term review of theircompanies’ '07 Risk Management Activities that have been carried out inaccordance with aims set at the 1st CSR Meeting in Asia in 2006. Thesereports were followed by active exchange of opinions concerning best prac-tices for the second half of this year and various issues concerning CSR.From Tomoko Kakehi, CSR Planning Div., YMC

2nd CSR Meeting in Asia heldin Singapore

The 2nd CSR Meeting in Asia brought together 19CSR leaders from 8 group companies

Malaysia

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia (HLYM) celebrated a major corpo-rate milestone on 5th June, 2007, with theroll-out of its 2,000,000th unit of locallyassembled motorcycles at its Sungai Bulohassembly plant. The roll-out ceremony wasofficiated by the Minister of InternationalTrade & Industry, Yang Berhormat Dato’ SeriRafidah Aziz with Mr. Takahiko Takeda,Executive Officer/Senior General Manager ofYamaha Motor Co., Ltd., in attendance

together with vendors, dealers and corporate guests. Since the one millionmark was passed in 1994, HLYM Malaysia has proved its commitment tomanufacturing excellence by achieving triple certifications of ISO9002, TPMExcellent Award 1st Category and ISO14001. With annual motorcycledemand exceeding a level of 450,000 units, popular models like the T135LCand T110 are helping the company expand its market share.From Masahiko Arika, HLYM, Malaysia

Hong Leong Yamaha Motor cele-brates 2,000,000th bike roll-out

The Minister of International Trade &Industry, Yang Berhormat Dato’ SeriRafidah Aziz (3rd from left) partic-ipated in the event

Chile

On May 23 and 24, a total of 51 representa-tives from 12 Latin American countries andJapan gathered in the Chilean capital, Santi-ago, for the 9th Latin American ImporterConvention. Each importer’s delegationmade presentations concerning their mar-keting goals, model dealership programsand midterm goals, and information wasshared about plans and best practices.There was virtually unanimous consensus inthe reports from all countries about the rapidgrowth of their markets and the aggressivesales goals they intend to pursue to makethe most of the present growth opportunities. From Toshiyuki Hikawa, YMC

51 delegates from 13 nations attendedthe 9th Latin American Importer Con-vention

9th Latin Ameri-can ImporterConvention held

South Africa

On the 19th of April, the legendary National Geographic explorer, Kingsley Holgate visited the offices of distribu-tor McCarthy Limited to thank the company for its contribution of Yamaha outboard motors and generators tosupport his campaign to fight malaria. Holgate will circumnavigate the African continent over the course of one

year distributing mosquito nets and educating local people about preventative measuresto fight the major health crisis of malaria in Africa today. In areas not inflicted with the cur-rent malaria epidemic, Holgate’s expedition will distribute educational materials for schoolchildren and reading glasses for people with poor eyesight. From Hideki Yamanaka, Southern African Group, OMDO, YMC

Kingsley Holgate (2nd from right) with (from left) Alan North, Greg Bennett, andKelvin Thomas of McCarthy Limited and a Yamaha generator they donated

Yamaha supports Africa Outside Edge Expedition to fight malaria

The Raptor 250 is built from the wheels up as apure sports model

The participants in Yamaha South Pacific RegionalMeeting

The YMKI free inspection cam-paign reached 100 locationsnationwide

USA

On June 18, YamahaMotor Manufacturing Cor-poration (YMMC) held aceremony to celebrateachieving the two millionvehicle production mark.Since its founding in 1986and start of production in1988, YMMC has producedover 600,000 units each ofYamaha personal watercraft, Golf Cars and ATVs and over120,000 units of SSVs (side-by-side 4-wheeled vehicles). Attend-ing the ceremony from Japan were YMC’s President Kajikawaand President Shiraishi of YMC’s RV Company. RepresentingYMUS was President Adachi. Everyone praised the efforts of theYMMC employees and the Yamaha people of the past and pre-sent who have contributed to this great milestone. Now YMMCwill be focusing on ambitious new goals for the future. From Yoshihiko Ido, YMMC, USA

YMMC celebrates 2 millionunits production milestone

Representatives from six South Amer-ican Yamaha Motor group compa-nies discussed CSR activity

From left, Mr. McMillan (YMMC VP), Mr.Shiraishi (RV Co. President), Mr. Kajikawa(YMC President), Mr. Adachi (YMUS Presi-dent), Mr. Iio (YMMC President) at the cere-mony

The ceremony was attended by some 60members of the press and many dealers.Surrounding the new FI-equipped Vino aretop management including YMT PresidentHiroyuki Yoshino, Yamaha Motor R&DTaiwan Co., Ltd. (YMRT) President Kuni-hiko Miwa and the campaign participants

YAMAHA NEWS AUSGUST 1, 2007 1110 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007

Five groups named winners in Yamaha’s32nd President AwardsFive groups named winners in Yamaha’s32nd President Awards

Winners of the 32nd President Awards

On July 2, the awards ceremony for the Yamaha Motor CompanyPresident Awards was held at the Communication Plaza of the com-pany’s headquarters. The ceremony was a chance for the winners tomake presentations of their proud achievements, often overcomingdifficult challenges through long years of efforts.

Subject and resultsThis award recognized the development and deployment of an“e-Engine Strategy” to differentiate Yamaha from the competi-tors with next-generation liquid-cooled 4-valve engines withhigh value-added features and state-of-the-art technologies likeYamaha’s DiASil Cylinder and forged pistons. Commutermotorcycles have been developed for the ASEAN, Europeanand Brazilian markets and have won high acclaim there.Meanwhile, the cost of these models has been successfully low-ered by increasing the percentage of locally produced parts andlocal assembly in these markets. The great acceptance that thesemodels have achieved in these markets is now contributing toYamaha’s coverall sales.

e-EG Strategy (next-generation small engine strategy) and product developmentand implementation

Field: Product, Technology DevelopmentRecipients: Engineering Operations, Homologation Division, ProductDevelopment Operations, Component Development Division, MotorcycleHeadquarters

Subject and resultsThere are several technological problems involved in adapting ETC (Electronictoll collection) devices for motorcycle use, such as making them capable ofenduring high vibration levels, and this fact has kept them from coming intopractical use. To answer the call for early introduction of a motorcycle-specificETC device, Yamaha Motor cooperated with an ETC development maker,which led to the rapid development of a high-quality device in terms of bothtechnology and safety. This led to the implementation of lower expressway tollsfor motorcyclists using ETC, which has had a very significant effect on theJapanese motorcycle market.

Realization and spread of motorcycle ETC use

Field: Manufacturing department relatedRecipients: Motorcycle Headquarters, 1st Factory

Subject and resultsA new manufacturing system was created by working on anaustere definition of value-oriented work processes based onthe premise that in every main conventional manufacturingprocess there is some valueless work being done. As a result ofa variety of initiatives such as introducing a system where partsare supplied in use-efficient kits (combinations) and the elimi-nation of assembly line-side karts, this project achieved itsambitious goal of improving productivity by 1.5 times. Thisnew manufacturing line system will be designated the YamahaMotor group mother line and be adopted from now on in ouroverseas factories, where it is sure to contribute to significantcost reductions throughout the group.

Building a mother assembly line embodying theoretical-figure manufacturing

Field: Manufacturing department relatedRecipients: YMC SB Project Team, PT. Yamaha Indonesia MotorManufacturing and related divisions

Subject and resultsThe Yamaha DiASil Cylinder, which was developed in 2002as the world’s first all-aluminum die-cast cylinder for motorcy-cle engines, was successfully put into practical use in Yamahaproduction motorcycle models for the Japanese and ASEANmarkets before any of the competitors. In Japan, this cylinderwas used in the engine of the YP250G, and in the ASEANregion on the T135 engines. A trademark was also registeredfor this “DiASil” name and expectations are high that its usewill continue to spread as a Yamaha-original technology.

The adoption of the DiASil Cylinder in motorcycle engines due to technologicaldevelopment and transfer to overseas manufacturing bases

Field: Contributing to business resultsRecipients: Yamaha Marine Co., Ltd., ME Company, Yamaha MotorCorporation, USA, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America,Tennessee Watercraft Inc.

Subject and resultsAt a time when the PWC market was shrinking, Yamaha introduced the world’sfirst 4-stroke powered PWC in 2002 with the aim of increasing sales andexpanding market share. By mounting a marine version of the engine ofYamaha’s YZF-R1 supersport motorcycle on a sports type PWC boat andheightening the percentage of local manufacturing in the USA, as the center ofthe PWC business and development as well as the main market, a base for prof-itability was quickly created. It is also very significant that this developmenthelped Yamaha recover overall PWC market share.

Introduction of a 4-stroke PWC model and building the foundation for businessprofitability by expanding the 4-stroke model line

Field: Product, Technology DevelopmentRecipients: Product Planning Division, 1st Body DevelopmentDivision, Engine Development Division, Product TestingDivision, Testing Division and the related SyS Operations,Motorcycle Headquarters

YAMAHA NEWS AUSGUST 1, 2007 1110 YAMAHA NEWS AUGUST 1, 2007

Five groups named winners in Yamaha’s32nd President AwardsFive groups named winners in Yamaha’s32nd President Awards

Winners of the 32nd President Awards

On July 2, the awards ceremony for the Yamaha Motor CompanyPresident Awards was held at the Communication Plaza of the com-pany’s headquarters. The ceremony was a chance for the winners tomake presentations of their proud achievements, often overcomingdifficult challenges through long years of efforts.

Subject and resultsThis award recognized the development and deployment of an“e-Engine Strategy” to differentiate Yamaha from the competi-tors with next-generation liquid-cooled 4-valve engines withhigh value-added features and state-of-the-art technologies likeYamaha’s DiASil Cylinder and forged pistons. Commutermotorcycles have been developed for the ASEAN, Europeanand Brazilian markets and have won high acclaim there.Meanwhile, the cost of these models has been successfully low-ered by increasing the percentage of locally produced parts andlocal assembly in these markets. The great acceptance that thesemodels have achieved in these markets is now contributing toYamaha’s coverall sales.

e-EG Strategy (next-generation small engine strategy) and product developmentand implementation

Field: Product, Technology DevelopmentRecipients: Engineering Operations, Homologation Division, ProductDevelopment Operations, Component Development Division, MotorcycleHeadquarters

Subject and resultsThere are several technological problems involved in adapting ETC (Electronictoll collection) devices for motorcycle use, such as making them capable ofenduring high vibration levels, and this fact has kept them from coming intopractical use. To answer the call for early introduction of a motorcycle-specificETC device, Yamaha Motor cooperated with an ETC development maker,which led to the rapid development of a high-quality device in terms of bothtechnology and safety. This led to the implementation of lower expressway tollsfor motorcyclists using ETC, which has had a very significant effect on theJapanese motorcycle market.

Realization and spread of motorcycle ETC use

Field: Manufacturing department relatedRecipients: Motorcycle Headquarters, 1st Factory

Subject and resultsA new manufacturing system was created by working on anaustere definition of value-oriented work processes based onthe premise that in every main conventional manufacturingprocess there is some valueless work being done. As a result ofa variety of initiatives such as introducing a system where partsare supplied in use-efficient kits (combinations) and the elimi-nation of assembly line-side karts, this project achieved itsambitious goal of improving productivity by 1.5 times. Thisnew manufacturing line system will be designated the YamahaMotor group mother line and be adopted from now on in ouroverseas factories, where it is sure to contribute to significantcost reductions throughout the group.

Building a mother assembly line embodying theoretical-figure manufacturing

Field: Manufacturing department relatedRecipients: YMC SB Project Team, PT. Yamaha Indonesia MotorManufacturing and related divisions

Subject and resultsThe Yamaha DiASil Cylinder, which was developed in 2002as the world’s first all-aluminum die-cast cylinder for motorcy-cle engines, was successfully put into practical use in Yamahaproduction motorcycle models for the Japanese and ASEANmarkets before any of the competitors. In Japan, this cylinderwas used in the engine of the YP250G, and in the ASEANregion on the T135 engines. A trademark was also registeredfor this “DiASil” name and expectations are high that its usewill continue to spread as a Yamaha-original technology.

The adoption of the DiASil Cylinder in motorcycle engines due to technologicaldevelopment and transfer to overseas manufacturing bases

Field: Contributing to business resultsRecipients: Yamaha Marine Co., Ltd., ME Company, Yamaha MotorCorporation, USA, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America,Tennessee Watercraft Inc.

Subject and resultsAt a time when the PWC market was shrinking, Yamaha introduced the world’sfirst 4-stroke powered PWC in 2002 with the aim of increasing sales andexpanding market share. By mounting a marine version of the engine ofYamaha’s YZF-R1 supersport motorcycle on a sports type PWC boat andheightening the percentage of local manufacturing in the USA, as the center ofthe PWC business and development as well as the main market, a base for prof-itability was quickly created. It is also very significant that this developmenthelped Yamaha recover overall PWC market share.

Introduction of a 4-stroke PWC model and building the foundation for businessprofitability by expanding the 4-stroke model line

Field: Product, Technology DevelopmentRecipients: Product Planning Division, 1st Body DevelopmentDivision, Engine Development Division, Product TestingDivision, Testing Division and the related SyS Operations,Motorcycle Headquarters

Printed in Japanhttp://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp

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And, its popularity is being proven byunexpectedly high sales volumes aroundthe world.

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

Car with its stylish design and perfor-mance that exceeds driver expectationshas set a new standard in the industry.

About 85% of the world’s golf carmarket is in North America,where the game of golf is a popu-

lar form of outdoor recreation that is easi-ly accessible to a large segment of thepopulation. Most of the golf cars soldhere are 2-seater models, and the trend inrecent years is away from gasoline enginetypes in favor of electric models with bat-tery-powered high-performance motors.Today, these electric models account for70% of the new golf cars sold in NorthAmerica. The new “YDR” Yamaha Golf Carmodel (US market name: The Drive)launched in October of 2006—the yearYamaha celebrated the 30th anniversaryof its first Golf Car—is Yamaha’s firstcompletely new model in 12 years. Itsindustry-leading features include wet-type mechanical brakes, a hybrid framemade of plastic resin and steel membersand a larger sun-top with excellent rainprotection and drainage. All this, plus thefamous Yamaha reliability makes this amodel that will please golf course opera-tors while also making the player’srounds all the more enjoyable. In developing the YDR, Yamaha beganby asking questions no one has everasked before. First of all, why can’t a golfcar be fun to drive? Yamaha’s answerwas to build a golf car that is both driver-friendly and course-friendly, a blend ofthoughtful practicality and gratifying per-formance. The YDR expresses Yamaha’shope that golfers will discover that a golfcar can be a vehicle that makes theirgame not only more care-free but alsomore fun, a machine that will makegolfers quick to say, “I’ll drive!” Now, this next-generation Yamaha Golf

“YDR” sets a new par for the course A strategic global model

“YDR” sets a new par for the course A strategic global model