Yamaha Fails To Score Grand Prix Point For First Time In 33 Years

Following in Honda’s footsteps, for the wrong reasons.

By: Dustin Wheelen

Jun 28, 2022 at 2:58pm ET

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Yamaha and Honda have virtually dominated the 500cc Grand Prix/MotoGP premier class since 1975. During that period, the two Japanese marques captured 39 Rider’s Championships and 37 Constructor’s Titles. Big Red and the bLU cRU haven’t enjoyed the same level of success in 2022, however.

At the German Grand Prix, Honda riders failed to score a point for the first time since the Honda-boycotted French Grand Prix on May 9, 1982. That round not only brought the brand’s 663-race and 14,651-day streak to an end but also marked the first non-point-scoring outing for HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) during the MotoGP four-stroke era.

Just one week later, Yamaha followed in its rival’s footsteps at the 2022 Assen TT. On just the fifth lap of the race, rider’s championship leader and reigning MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo tucked the front of his M1 at turn five while attempting a pass on Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro. El Diablo remounted his race machine and returned to the pits, just to be sent out by his team, resulting in a race-ending crash at the same corner.

Things didn’t go much better for Quartararo’s teammate, Franco Morbidelli. The Yamaha rider served a long-lap penalty early in the race, but also suffered a crash on the seventh lap of the Grand Prix. With the two Monster Energy Yamaha factory bikes ending up in the gravel trap, Team Blue’s hopes rested on RNF WithU Yamaha satellite team riders.

Unfortunately, MotoGP rookie Darryn Binder met the same fate, crashing his M1 at Stekkenwal (turn 8). Only teammate Andrea Dovizioso remained aboard his race steed but finished outside of the points in 16th place.

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The 2022 Assen TT marked the first time Yamaha didn’t score points in a Grand Prix during the MotoGP era. The company’s point-scoring streak dates back 12,096 days and 544 races to the Yamaha-boycotted Grand Prix of the Nations at Misano on May 14, 1989.

Team Blue’s impressive streak may have come to an unceremonious end, but Quartararo has his sights set on keeping his championship title streak alive in 2022. Luckily, the team has a five-week summer break to recuperate and focus all its efforts on scoring points at the 2022 British Grand Prix.