yamaha supports soo i500 and oval racing teams

Based on Yamaha's RX-1 4-stroke snowmobile enjoying a strong performance at the legendary Soo I-500 enduro race in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, last season, Yamaha Motor Corporation is increasing its support both at the Soo and other oval racing events for 2004.

At last year's Soo, an RX-1 earned a strong 4th place finish. In an attempt to better that accomplishment, Yamaha will sponsor two of the best teams in the discipline - J&M Racing and Yamaha-convert and two-time Soo winner Troy Pierce. These teams will field efforts featuring the RX-1.

"We were ecstatic with the performance of the RX-1 at the 2003 Soo," said J&M team owner Mark Goss, whose drivers led more laps than anyone else on their way to fourth place. "The four-stroke is fabulous, and the machine is so easy to set up and it handles like a dream. There's no fade - it runs forever and gets stronger as it keeps going."

Troy Pierce and his partner Todd Krikke won the Soo in 1996 and 1997 and own three more podium finishes. Obviously, Pierce knows what it takes to do well at this historic and biggest enduro event.

In 2004, he believes it'll take an RX-1. "I saw teams making great strides with the RX-1. I was really impressed, and I think our team's expertise can help the program," Pierce said, explaining his move to Yamaha. "The technology of the four-stroke is awesome - it really has legs and can out-pull about any sled at the Soo."

Both teams will also campaign RX-1s in the Midwest International Racing Association's (MIRA) Improved Stock 600 class. MIRA sanctions oval and enduro races that cover about 125 miles, a great showcase for the RX-1.

"Enduro racing is similar to real-world snowmobiling in that durability, power, handling and fuel efficiency are all keys to success," said Yamaha Snowmobile Product Manager Mike Doughty. "We believe the RX-1 excels in all of these areas, and we're excited that excellent teams like J&M and Pierce Racing will represent us."

Yamaha has developed a generous contingency program for the Soo: If the winner is driving an RX-1, Yamaha will award the team $4,000. Second place is worth $2,000 per team and third gets $1,000. Any team qualifying an RX-1 for the final earns $300.

Yamaha also has excellent contingency dollars available to teams that perform well with their RX-1 at regular season MIRA events. A winning RX-1 is worth $2,000 per race, second place scores $1,000 and third gets $500. In addition, a team that drives an RX-1 to a season-ending points championship on the MIRA circuit pockets a cool $5,000.