Yamaha Racing Heritage Club: some historic protagonists of British motorcycling at Donington Park

During the celebrations of Yamaha Racing Heritage Club al CRMC Classic Motorcycle Festival, scheduled on 30-31 July al Donington Park in the United Kingdom, exemplary and great names of British motorcycling were protagonists. Among those mentioned: Chas Mortimer, Alan Carter, Niall and Tarran Mackenzie and the seven-time world champion Phil Read.

A new commitment from the Yamaha Racing Heritage Club

Lo Yamaha Racing Heritage Club (YRHC) was created to highlight and protect the rich sporting heritage of the Japanese manufacturer. After appearances at the Italian ASI Motoshow event in Varano, on French soil at the Sunday Ride Classic on the Paul Ricard Circuit and at the German Sachsenring Classic; on this occasion there was the debut in the United Kingdom at Donington Park with an interesting stand.
A notable inaugural year for the YRHC, 2023 brings planned activities in a comprehensive program of various events and more. Activities announced soon, as indicated on the occasion.
Returning to the British event, together with the historic pilots from across the Channel, the attention of enthusiasts was attracted by the range of specimens on display, covering a period of 65 years. From the first official racing bike, the YD-A 250 cc from 1957; passing through the first Yamaha fielded in the race in the United Kingdom, the Sonny Angel YDS-1R from 1960; arriving at MCAMS Yamaha R1 by Tarran “Taz” Mackenzie winner of the 2021 British Superbike.

2022 Classic Motorcycle Festival – Donington Park, Derbyshire. UK 31st July 2022.

As mentioned, among the important names of the event was Phil Read, world champion with Yamaha and also an eight-time winner at the TT on the Isle of Man. Read won 52 GPs and obtained 121 podiums, as well as being the first to win Grand Prix titles in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes. Read projected Yamaha into something else with the conquest of the 250 cc world championship in 1964 aboard an RD56, just the beginning of a legendary story. Among the other champions also indicated Chas Mortimer, the first winner of a Grand Prix on a Yamaha in the 500 cc class, together with others present with the YRHC for the Sunday autograph session. Among these was Alan Carter who caught a lot of attention when he won the French GP in the 18 cc class at Le Mans in 250 at the age of 1983, in his second World Championship race. The youngest Grand Prix winner at the time.

Photo: Yamaha Racing