Yamaha unveils special R1 and R9 at Jerez

This weekend’s 2025 WorldSBK season-finale will see Yamaha celebrate its 70th anniversary with a new one-off livery aboard its R1 and R9 motorcycles.

Yamaha celebrated its 70th anniversary during the summer when it revealed a special livery at the Dutch MotoGP. But the Japanese brand had not done so in WorldSBK prior to this announcement. 

The one-off livery will adorn its two Pata Yamaha factory R1’s which are ridden by Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli, and the two GRT machines. Yamaha will also be running the special anniversary livery on the R9 of Stefano Manzi, who was crowned World Supersport champion last weekend at Estoril.

The new white and red colours, which are the same as Yamaha used at the Suzuka 8 Hour race in August, are inspired by the iconic livery of the 1999 YZF-R7. That motorcycle was most notorious for finishing second in the world championship when Noriyuki Haga finished behind Colin Edwards, in 2000.

Yamaha says the special livery will only be used on Sunday during Race 2.

This weekend is also a big round for Yamaha for a completely separate reason, as six-time series champion Rea will be retiring from the sport. A winner of 119 races and six world titles (none with Yamaha, though), Rea will bring an end to what’s easily been the most successful WorldSBK career for any rider.   

Speaking about Yamaha’s special 70th anniversary colours, Andrea Dosoli, Division Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, said: 

“We are all very proud to play our part in Yamaha’s 70th anniversary celebrations by running a special 70th anniversary livery inspired by the 1999 YZF-R7 in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP on Sunday. 

“The R7 was a bike that captured the imaginations of fans all over the world, and of course, was a machine that enjoyed significant success in the Superbike World Championship, so to run these colours here again will be a special moment for us all. Yamaha’s legacy speaks for itself, it is a truly iconic brand, and we are sure that these instantly recognisable colours will evoke emotional memories for a lot of race fans worldwide.”

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