Valentino Rossi is arguably the greatest MotoGP rider of all time, but the Italian is only one of many iconic riders in Yamaha history to make a name for themselves in the premier class.
Despite the re-establishment of a fully-formed works team for the 1999 500cc season, the Japanese constructor has played an important role in MotoGP history. Yamaha He took over the team that Wayne Rainey had previously founded in support of the American team.
For a long time, Yamaha has developed a presence in the premier class paddock by providing factory support to teams. Yamaha has worked with 500cc heroes like Rennie, Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini, and the Japanese brand’s American subsidiary even once ran a team.
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A host of all-time great Yamaha riders have been providing factory support to 500cc teams since the brand’s days. Rossi He later established his presence in MotoGP after running his works Yamaha outfit from Honda. So, with that in mind, here are the top five Yamaha riders of all time.
5) Eddie Lawson – Three World Cups and 26 wins in 86 races for Yamaha
Eddie Lawson made his 500cc debut in the 1983 season riding for Agostini’s Yamaha team and it didn’t take long for the American to establish his presence at the front of the premier class. California won its first title in 1984, and was a three-time champion in 1988.
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| category | With YAMAHA | Profession |
| Topics | 3x (1984, 1986, 1988) | 4x (1984, 1986, 1988, 1989) |
| WINS | 26 | 31 |
| PODIUMS | 62 | 78 |
| Poles | 15 | 18 |
In the year By winning the title with Agostini’s Yamaha in 1988, Lawson achieved the historic feat of becoming the first rider in premier class history to win back-to-back titles with two different manufacturers.
Lawson dominated the 1986 season with Agostini’s Yamaha, winning seven of the 11 races and just missing out on a podium finish in the Dutch TT at Assen. He won the 1986 title by 22 points, beating factory Honda rider Wayne Gardner.
4) Kenny Roberts – three World Cups and 22 wins in 57 races for Yamaha
Yamaha’s American organization brought Roberts to the World Championship in 1978 and the brand immediately reaped the rewards. The Californian finished second in his 500cc debut at Jarama and won his second race at Salzburg, as well as the rookie championship.
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| category | With YAMAHA | Profession |
| Topics | 3x (1978, 1979, 1980) | 3x (1978, 1979, 1980) |
| WINS | 22 | 22 |
| PODIUMS | 39 | 39 |
| Poles | 18 | 18 |
After winning back-to-back crowns in 1976 and 1977, Roberts beat Suzuki’s Barry Sheen to the 500cc title in 1978 by 10 points, topping the British time frame.
For 1983, Agostini was just two points shy of Roberts’ fourth title since joining Yamaha, while compatriot Freddie Spencer won the championship for Honda. Roberts and Spencer each won six of the 12 rounds, but the latter’s P3 in Assen overshadowed the former’s P4 in Rijeka.
When Roberts retired after the 1983 season, he formed his own team and extended his legacy in the 500cc class. In the 1984 season in the 250cc class, and later in the 500cc class in 1986. The Roberts team became the official factory Yamaha team in 1990.
3) Wayne Rennie – three World Cups and 24 wins in 83 races for Yamaha
In the year The two icons reunited when Rainey returned to ride for the Roberts team in the 1988 500cc season, and in 1984 he rode for the 250cc team in the World Championship.
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| category | With YAMAHA | Profession |
| Topics | 3x (1990, 1991, 1992) | 3x (1990, 1991, 1992) |
| WINS | 24 | 24 |
| PODIUMS | 64 | 64 |
| Poles | 15 | 15 |
Rennie won three consecutive 500cc titles as the Yamaha entry for Roberts’ team in 1990. In the year He beat countryman Kevin Schwantz by 67 points in 1990, followed by Australian legend Mick Doohan by nine points in 1991 and four points in 1992.
In what proved to be his last season in 1993, Roberts saw Rennie finish second to Schwantz by 34 points, despite having to sit out the final two rounds. Rennie He broke his sixth thoracic vertebra after a freak accident while leading the 1993 Italian Grand Prix at Misano.
Schwantz trailed Rainey by 11 points ahead of the Italian GP, ​​where he is set to go 23 points clear with the final two races to go. Had it not been for the accident at Misano, Rennie would have won the 1993 title and pushed Yamaha to the limit to win his career.
2) Jorge Lorenzo – Three World Cups and 44 wins in 156 races for Yamaha
George Lorenzo In the year It was launched in 2008 for the factory Yamaha team MotoGP seasonAs for Iwata, bosses will want to stamp his signature after taking back-to-back 250cc titles. as well as, Fearing that Rossi would leave MotoGP for F1, Yamaha signed LorenzoAs he tried for Ferrari.
Read more: Every rider in MotoGP’s Hall of Fame, from Valentino Rossi to Jorge Lorenzo
| category | With YAMAHA | Profession |
| Topics | 3x (2010, 2012, 2015) | 3x (2010, 2012, 2015) |
| WINS | 44 | 47 |
| PODIUMS | 107 | 114 |
| Poles | 39 | 43 |
In the end, the Spaniard and the Italian created a historic rivalry in the Yamaha garage, which finally returned only in 2013 when Rossi joined Ducati in 2011. Lorenzo also sat in the same team that won MotoGP titles at the highest level with Rossi and Marc Marquez.
Lorenzo won the first of three MotoGP titles in the 2010 season when the Palma native finished 138 points clear of Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and 150 clear of Rossi. Both of their title rivals faced injury layoffs, but Lorenzo was the class of the field.
In the year Over 18 races in 2010, Lorenzo won nine and took 16 podiums. He made 16 trips to the podium, including six wins behind Pedrosa to take the 2012 title by 18 points. Lorenzo’s consistency won him the 2012 title, finishing 16 out of 18 times in P1 or P2.
Lorenzo also holds the distinction of being the only rider to deny Marquez the 2015 title by five points from Rossi from 2013-2019. Marquez vs Rossi feud erupts between Lorenzo 2015 title winnersItalian Marquez feels Lorenzo helped him secure the title.
1) Valentino Rossi – Four World Cups and 56 wins in 255 races for Yamaha
There can only be one great Yamaha rider of all time, Rossi, who is arguably the greatest rider in the history of the premier class. The Italian He won four of the seven titles he rode for the Iwata team in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Rossi has finished third and third four times.
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| category | With YAMAHA | Profession |
| Topics | 4x (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009) | 7x (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009) |
| WINS | 56 | 89 |
| PODIUMS | 142 | 199 |
| Poles | 35 | 55 |
Rossi’s adaptability to different eras and bikes has set him apart from most of his peers, with his unique character attracting fans around the world. He was unbeatable in his record-breaking career, even inspiring future MotoGP champions.
To this day, Rossi holds the record in 500cc/MotoGP races with 89 wins – 56 with Yamaha. Rossi is still the most successful premier class driver in the history of the Dutch (8), Italian (7), Spanish (6), Catalan (6) and Portuguese (5) Grands Prix.
In the year He won his first premier class title in the 500cc era riding with Nastro Azzurro Honda in 2002 and 2003 before moving on to the Honda squad from the start of the MotoGP era. Ducati couldn’t help but find any success in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
