Cypress, CA, December 7, 2011 – Three of Yamaha’s best and brightest racing stars will be on-hand this weekend at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, just a stone’s throw from Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA’s headquarters.
Yamaha MotoGP rider and former Yamaha World Superbike Champion Ben Spies, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP rider and former Yamaha World Supersport Champion Cal Crutchlow, and Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider and two-time defending AMA Pro Racing American SuperBike Champion Josh Hayes will all be signing autographs and greeting fans at the Yamaha display. Yamaha has also brought in one of Ben’s factory YZR-M1® racebikes in the same 50th Anniversary of World GP livery that he raced to his first MotoGP victory in Assen this past June. The show, held at the Long Beach Convention Center, will run throughout the weekend.
This Friday evening, December 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, Spies, Crutchlow, and Hayes, alongside Yamaha’s 2012 models, including the 2012 crossplane-crankshaft, traction-control-equipped YZF-R1®, will be featured. Then, on Saturday afternoon, December 10 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, Crutchlow and Hayes will return for a follow-up autograph session.
Ben Spies is coming off his second full season in MotoGP and his first season with the Yamaha factory MotoGP team where he finished 5th in the season championship and notched his first MotoGP win at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen. Cal Crutchlow, who won the 2009 World Supersport Championship aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6®, will be entering his second season aboard the Tech 3 Yamaha M1. And Josh Hayes, the reigning American SuperBike Champ, will soon be going for a three-peat title. For 2012, he’ll be armed with a race-prepped version of the even more formidable, new R1 that will be on-display during the show.
Commenting on the special appearance by all three riders, Bob Starr, General Manager, National Communications for Yamaha’s Motorsports Group said, “We’re very appreciative that Ben, Cal, and Josh are able to take time off from their busy, off-season training schedules to join us at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach. Yamaha has the greatest fans in the world, and we’re happy to have three of our best riders available to meet and greet some of them.”
