MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo rides the R15 on Buddh International Circuit

Yamaha India whih is banking on the premium segment to drive its sales in the Indian market roped in MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo to visit India at the 11th Auto Expo to meet with his fans and look at Yamaha’s exciting motorcycle range on display at the company’s booth.

Lorenzo was welcomed with an ecstatic response from Indian biking and motorsports lovers as he rode Yamaha’s flagship bike YZF-R15 Ver 2.0 on the race track at the Buddh International Circuit.

Official Press release

Yamaha has etched another chapter in the history of motorsports in India by bringing the 2010 World MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo for the first time in India.

With this, Yamaha has yet again reiterated India’s significance in their global plans after the launch of internationally popular models such as VMAX (1,679cc), YZF-R1 (998cc), MT01 (1,670cc) and FZ1 (998cc). Earlier, Lorenzo visited the 11th Auto Expo to meet with his fans and look at Yamaha’s exciting motorcycle range on display at the company’s booth.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & Managing Director, India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are thrilled to host Lorenzo’s first visit to India and present him to millions of Indian fans. It was delightful to see the overwhelming response from the many fans gathered to greet Lorenzo.

Motor Sports has always been an integral part of Yamaha’s corporate culture and Lorenzo’s visit will further help us in promoting ourselves as a brand associated with motorsports. We’ve also been hosting the R15 One Make race championships since 2008 to encourage motorcycle racing in India. Motorsports has gained much popularity especially after the F1 racing hosted in India recently. We’d certainly like to see India hosting MotoGP as well in the near future.”

This is the second time that Yamaha has facilitated the visit of an international racing star to India. A similar response was received during the visit of Valentino Rossi in the last Auto Expo.

Speaking on his maiden visit to India, Jorge Lorenzo said, “I am simply delighted to visit India and want to thank India Yamaha Motor for organizing this visit and giving me the opportunity to meet my fans here. Seeing the number of biking and motorsports enthusiasts here, I can say that the adrenaline is surely pumping high for motorcycle racing in India. The only advice that I would like to give to all biking enthusiasts is that they should take care of safety aspects while riding; if safety is taken care of then biking is indeed a cherish able experience.”

24-year old Jorge Lorenzo joined the MotoGP Yamaha Factory Racing Team in 2008 as double 250cc World Champion, having won the title for the previous two years. Following his outstanding debut year, Lorenzo came of age in 2009, winning four races and pushing his team-mate Valentino Rossi to the limit throughout a superb season.

The 2010 season saw Lorenzo build on his 2009 successes, fighting at the front to dominate the season and take the World Championship title. The 2011 MotoGP Championship saw the reigning World Champion with a new racing partner, 2010 MotoGP Rookie of the Year, Ben Spies. His nickname ‘X Fuera’, is an allusion to his flamboyant, outside overtaking style.

As part of his visit to the Buddha International Circuit, Lorenzo also met the three lucky winners of the E-contest that was being run by India Yamaha Motor for its customers and biking enthusiasts.

Racing has been in the heart of Yamaha ever since the company was formed in 1955. Yamaha has also set a number of milestones in the racing world, becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to win a 500cc Grand Prix (with Jarno Saarinen in 1973) and the first Japanese company to win the 500cc World title, with Giacomo Agostini in 1975, the first time a two-stroke machine had won in the premier class, showcasing the company’s then standing as the leading manufacturer of two-stroke equipment.