Motorcycle racing hits fever pitch this year as Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. launches the official Yamaha factory team at the Batangas Racing Circuit. This recent endeavor of Yamaha is aimed at capturing the interest of new generation riders, among whom the underbone class has a high popularity.
The team is comprised of two Expert Class riders, two Novice Class riders and three Support riders who have started competing in the NAMSSA Underbone King Nationals (UBK) 2008.
Competing in the Expert Class are veteran riders Maico Buncio and Jaime Barcial. Novice Class riders are Anthony Roman and Jeffrey Chan and the three Support Riders are Masato Fernando, Mark Barcial and James Barcial.

The selection process began with a large pool of 14 riders. Yamaha then held an ASEAN Cup as part of the screening process as well as taking into consideration the rider’s past performance in other races. Eventually the following riders were chosen.

TEAM MEMBERS
  • Maico BuncioBuncio has been a Yamaha rider since...Read More
  • Jaime BarcialBarcial, on the other hand, has been...Read More
  • Jeffrey ChanNovice Rider Jeffrey Chan says he feels...Read More
  • Anthony RomanAnthony Roman is 16 years old and...Read More
Takeshi Yano
The Yamaha team is under the supervision of Team General Manager Takeshi Yano, who says they are very pleased to launch the Yamaha factory team in the Philippines.
“The team is still very young but quite dynamic and aggressive. Our challenge and mission is to take over the over-all title this year and excite our target market. We believe the team will make a great impact in the Philippine motorcycle racing scene”.

The race machine used by Expert Class riders is the Yamaha Sniper 135, Yamaha’s flagship sporty moped with its fusion of high performance and cutting edge design. It mounts a liquid-cooled 4-stroke 135cc engine on a diamond type frame and boasts state-of-the-art Yamaha technologies like the DiASil cylinder and lightweight aluminum forged piston.
The race machine assigned to Novice Class riders is the Yamaha Crypton Z. This model was designed to create a new standard for the 4-stroke moped category by achieving a greater balance of high performance, rigid frame, economy and convenience, while boasting a sporty design. The Crypton Z was chosen for the Novice Class because it is familiar and well-used throughout the ASEAN region and has a strong record of use in racing.
Yamaha’s initiatives in racing began in the early 1980s, when the company began a variety of activities aimed at the spread and development of motorsports in the ASEAN region. These include active promotion of activities aimed at building the race population and raising the level of competition. Yamaha put in resources such support for national championships and Yamaha Cup races in each country as well as set up the Yamaha Riding Academy program aimed at improving rider skills and training riding instructors.
Continued promotion of these activities has led to a rapid rise in the level of competition in each country and stimulated the riders to strive for new heights. Among these are a number of riders who are aiming to compete in the Yamaha ASEAN Cup Race by qualifying in local races and national championships. Some have set their sights on the FIM Asian Championships. Within this context, Yamaha improved the conventional support system and has implemented a Yamaha Rider Training Program since 2005 in order to nurture talented young riders.

YAMAHA