Yamaha Classic Assen TT preview

Agostini back on track at Assen to celebrate the 80th TT

On the 26th of June the legendary Assen circuit will witness the 80th edition of the famous TT race. To celebrate the event in style the Yamaha Classic Racing Team will be present and will be displaying iconic Yamaha race bikes from across the decades of the manufacturer's racing history. The Team will be joined by living legend Giacomo Agostini who will ride the circuit on a classic Yamaha racer.

Racing fans visiting the TT paddock area will be able to get up close and personal with historical GP machines raced to glory from 1964 to 1985 including: 125cc 1 cylinder, 350cc 3 cylinder, 750cc 4 cylinder and all two stroke machines. Added to the line up this year is the 1965 125cc V4 (RA31A) machine that delivered a 1, 2 world championship victory to riders Bill Ivy and Phil Read and the manufacturer's title to Yamaha in 1965. Another new iconic bike present will be the 350cc twin (OW16) that Agostini raced to world championship victory with in 1974 in the 350cc class.

In homage to the Assen TT Agostini will ride his celebrated 1975 YZR500 OW23 racebike on the circuit. This is the original machine that he rode to his last ever world title victory in 1975 and has special significance as it was also the machine he rode to victory on at the Assen TT in that year. This rare and historically important racebike is being flown over by Yamaha from Japan for this occasion, and is a rare opportunity to see and hear it being ridden by Agostini on track as he did 35 years ago.

"I am very happy to see that the interest for our classic racing activities is growing and growing," said Yamaha Classic Racing Team Manager, Ferry Brouwer. "One thing that the public generally appreciates is that the historical machines as well as the racing legends can be approached quite easily, although depending a bit on the venue that we're at. I'm very proud that Giacomo Agostini is participating on the major events this year and we are very grateful that the Yamaha headquarters in Japan have given Ago the opportunity again to ride on his original and legendary machine that he steered to his final word title in 1975."

The Yamaha Classic Racing Team will return to Assen later this year for a second iconic event, the Centennial Classic TT on the 18th and 19th September. Agostini will again ride for the team at this event and will be joined by other iconic riders from the golden years of racing including: Rodney Gould (1970 250cc world champion with Yamaha), Dieter Braun (1973 250cc world champion with Yamaha), Chas Mortimer (1973 125cc vice champion with Yamaha), Bruno Kneub0x00fchler (1974 125cc vice champion with Yamaha) and Steve Baker (1977 500cc vice champion with Yamaha).

-source: yamaha