One-make race The 9th Yamaha ASEAN Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. recently held the 9th Yamaha Asean Cup race at a specially prepared course at SM City Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It is the first time that the Philippines hosted the event, which began in 2003 in Jakarta, Indonesia in cooperation with its group companies in the ASEAN region as a way to support young riders who dream of competing in international race competitions.

“Today Yamaha creates another milestone in racing history in the Philippines—for the first time hosting the Yamaha ASEAN Cup race. Yamaha Motor Philippines currently focuses on grassroots racing through Yamaha Grand Prix, which we call “Yamaha GP” one-make race. We nurture the skills of local riders and promote motorcycle racing in the country in a one-of-a-kind racing event,” said Kaoru Ogura, sales and marketing director Yamaha Philippines Inc., (YMPH) in a press conference held at the event center of the SM Sta. Rosa.

The Yamaha ASEAN Cup race is a one-make championship where riders that have been chosen in national-level qualifying races in the participating countries compete for the title of ASEAN champion.

Two of our young local riders, Ernie Daguio Jr. and Vingie Coloma, lead local bets vying for the championship with 43 other riders from the five participating countries of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and host Philippines.

The first time the Philippines competed was in the 2nd Asean Cup in 2004 in Malaysia, where the country fielded in the late Maico Buncio as the sole representative. He finished 4th overall, battling it out with 49 other riders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

“In recent years, racing has become increasingly popular here in the Philippines, and in 2010, the country’s Yamaha GP one-make race series was launched. The series is attracting more and more participants and spectators each year, and I’m sure that holding the Yamahe ASEAN Cup race in the Philippines will not only give their riders the experience of competing with riders from other countries, but also give the spectators a chance to watch highly competitive international racing,” Yukihiro Ozaki, general manager of marketing and sales division 1st business unit, motorcycle business operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. explained.

This time, the championship will be held in two classes, the MT Class (manual automatic) and the new AT Class (automatic transmission) which will make it more challenging and exciting for riders and spectators alike. The new AT Class has been added in order to demonstrate the outstanding performance and reliability of Yamaha AT models while also creating an opportunity to make motorcycle racing more familiar and easier to relate to for a larger base of customers.

“This is the 9th ASEAN Cup race and the first for Philippines and it is an honor for us to have this event here for the Filipino people. Yamaha is a company committed to contributing to society and promoting friendliness and bringing new joy, entertainment and modern lifestyle to people around the world. I hope you will continue to give Yamaha motor, Yamaha brands and Yamaha Motor Philippines your kind support and cooperation,” Masayoshi Ono, Yamaha Japan motorcycle marketing senior supervisor said.

Since the 1980s, Yamaha Motor has undertaken a variety of activities aimed at the popularization of motorsports in the ASEAN region. These include active promotion of programs aimed at building the race population and raising the level of competition, such as support for national championship competitions and Yamaha Cup races in each country, organizing “Yamaha Riding Academy” programs aimed at improving rider skills, as well as training riding instructors.

“We hope this will not be the only ASEAN Cup that we will do here in the Philippines; we hope there will be more ASEAN Cup activities,” Ryan Jude Camus, YMPH advertising and promotions motorsports section manager added.

Asked if one of their MotoGP Yamaha factory racing team riders (Jorge Lorenzo/Valentino Rossi) could grace such events if ever they bring back the ASEAN Cup here in the Philippines, “In the near future and if schedules permit, we might bring one of them to grace this event,” Ogura said.