Around one week is left until the toughest cross-country competition on the planet kicks off, and we're ever so glad to be able to show you official footage of the new motorcycle on which Yamaha puts all their hopes.
The all-new WR460F Rally is Yamaha's new weapon for the South American competition, and the house of Iwata dreams of ranking higher in the 2016 edition.
Last year, Olivier Pain was the best Yamaha rider. He finished the Dakar in the tenth position. Another Yamaha rider, Frenchman Xavier de Soultrat, though an independent one, was three positions behind him. The next best Yamaha bike was ridden to a 15th-place finish by Dutch Frans Verhoeven of the Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven Team.
For 2016, Yamaha retains factory rider Alessandro Botturi and welcomes former HRC (and Yamaha) pilot Helder Rodrigues
In 2016, Yamaha will have one of its 2015 factory riders in the team. The Italian Alessandro Botturi was steadily improving his riding in the 2015 Dakar but was forced to abandon in Stage 8, while he was riding strong in the 11th position.
His teammate is an even bigger name that comes from a very powerful team. In January 2015, Portuguese Helder Rodrigues rode a Honda CRF450Rally for HRC, and he even won Stages 6 and 9, for a 12th position finish. A white and blue livery is not a new thing for Rodrigues, as he rode for Yamaha in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and won the FIM Cross-country World Rallies Championship in 2011.
We'll bring you a gallery of official photos of the WR450F Rally shortly, complete with details and more news on what changed from the previous model year. We know Yamaha will be rather secretive regarding its strongest point, so we'll just have to wait to see Rodrigues and Botturi laying the hammer down starting from January 3, 2016.
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