FIM WEC – GMT94 Yamaha quits and moves to World Supersport

Bruno Gomes

July 11, 2018

At the Suzuka 8 Hours race, GMT94 Yamaha will race with a color scheme replicating the original YZF-R1 graphics and colors from 20 years ago!

While we are waiting for what is one of the greatest endurance motorcycle races, the Suzuka 8 Hours, news coming in from the FIM World Endurance Championship paddock have rocked the endurance world, all because one of the two Yamaha factory squads, GMT94 Yamaha, has announced they’ll quit racing after the Japanese race.

GMT94 Yamaha are the defending champions, and they only need 10 more points to secure another endurance world title. But despite the huge success they’ve had in recent years in this championship, the French team will make a surprising move to race full time in World Supersport.

GMT94 will become the main Yamaha team in World Supersport replacing the current Yamaha factory backed team GRT, who in turn will move up to Superbike level.

GMT94 Yamaha squad will tackle the remainder of the 2018 WorldSSP season with Corentin Perolari, before taking on the World Supersport Championship full-time in 2019.

This is big news in terms of Yamaha Racing organization at world stage.

The Japanese brand will still have a factory team in World Endurance because Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) will continue as we know now, but in the World Supersport and Superbike championships the Iwata factory is strengthening its position with more Yamaha bikes on track having factory support.