Yamaha Factory Racing is Yamaha’s wholly-owned full-Factory Team in MotoGP. The team was founded in 1999 following the retirement of Wayne Rainey, who had run a Factory-supported team in the 500cc class for the previous two years. A new company - Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. - was set up in the Netherlands to manage all but the technical side of Yamaha’s international racing activities and to run the team.
In 2005 Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. as a company completed the move from the Netherlands in order to create a single Yamaha MotoGP European operation in Italy (Yamaha Motor Racing Srl), strengthening and centralising the management of the team.
Although responsibility for the technical aspects of MotoGP remains predominantly with Yamaha’s MotoGP Group in Japan, a number of Japanese engineering staff complete the European MotoGP set-up. The team is based in Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), close to Monza. The facility was rebuilt during 2008 and a new state-of the-art facility was opened, giving the team a superb new headquarters with all technical, logistical, managerial and communications departments under one roof.
Kouichi Tsuji was appointed President of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl in 2018, while Lin Jarvis is Managing Director, a position he has held since the start of the company in 2005. The experienced Italian former rider Massimo Meregalli continues as Team Director of the Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team, a position he has held since 2011.
In 2019, Yamaha’s long-term global alliance partner Monster Energy Company became the title sponsor of Yamaha’s Factory MotoGP team. Besides sponsoring multiple Yamaha teams and riders in various classes, the beverage company has been an Official Sponsor to the Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team since 2013. The shared heritage and racing passion are represented in the new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team livery. The 2019 design is a perfect blend between ‘Yamaha Racing blue’ and the instantly recognisable Monster Energy claw branding.
After adding to their win and podium tally in 2020, the team, with rider Fabio Quartararo won the riders' championship for the first time since 2015. The Frenchman won five races and scored 10 podiums, while the team was victorious six times and recorded 12 rostrum finishes.
For 2022, Quartararo is joined by former teammate Franco Morbidelli, and the team looks to make another step forward, targeting the riders', teams' and manufacturers' titles.
