Yamaha's 70th Anniversary WSBK Livery Is Stunning but Marks a Sad Moment

Earlier this year, I let some drool escape my mouth when Yamaha revealed that its 70th anniversary livery would adorn most of its off-road range as an option in 2026. I argued that this red and white color scheme, while beautiful, didn't hit me as hard as the 30th anniversary livery we saw on the YZ lineup in 2024. But I hadn't imagined what this would look like on a WSBK bike, à la the iconic 1999 YZF-R7, and now I don't have to.

Yamaha announced that the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship's Yamaha riders would finish the 2025 season off at the Circuito de Jerez — Angel Nieto, Andalucia, on something special. The race concluded last weekend, and the riders helped to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Yamaha Motor Company by ditching their traditional royal blue bike liveries and leathers in favor of red and white kits. 

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Anyone who wants to see this stunning livery live on track will have to tune into Race 1, which ran on Saturday. Although the red and white color scheme commemorates the founding of Yamaha Motor Company in Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan, on July 1, 1955, when the manufacturer separated from Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd, as was seen on its first model, the 125cc, two-stroke, single-cylinder YA-1 motorcycle, which was nicknamed “The Red Dragonfly”, the race weekend marked the end of another historic motorcycling figure. 

By virtually every metric, Jonathan Rea was the most successful WSBK rider ever. The six-time WSBK Champion holds the most records for victories and podium finishes, along with the record for the most fastest laps. As great as it is to watch The Turk put on a breaking masterclass, Rea is the most dominant force the championship has ever played host to, and after riding the 70th anniversary Yamaha, he hung up his helmet and retired from WSBK.

Quite a bitter-sweet weekend for WSBK racing. A special livery took to the track, while a special rider left it behind for good.

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