The inaugural MotoAmerica racing series is a big deal for all of the manufacturers partaking in the series. Yamaha->ke301 USA is exception to this and the team has even taken to producing a short web series, chronicling its preparation ahead of the season-opening race in Austin, Texas this coming April. One of the most important aspects of Yamaha’s “Road to Austin” series is seeing the development behind the team’s racing bike, the all-new Yamaha R1.

Described as one of the most technologically advanced production motorcycles in the world, the MotoGP-derived technology infused into the R1 speaks to the level of importance Yamaha USA has put into becoming a serious contender in the inaugural MotoAmerica series. This episode specifically tackles the laborious work Yamaha USA has put into the development of the bike.

We even see the team’s two riders, Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier, get introduced to the new super bike and ride it for the first time at the Thunderhill Raceway Park in California. Joining Hayes and Beaubier was Yamaha Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty, who pretty much spent the entire episode dissecting every developmental detail that went into improving the R1 to become the two-wheeled monster the team hopes it’ll be when MotoAmerica begins.

Watch the episode and you’ll understand why there’s a lot of optimism in the camp of Yamaha USA these days. And if for nothing else, you can just listen to the R1’s crackling engine. That alone is worth watching.

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