Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) will hold the "Yamaha ASEAN Cup 2006" championship competition over the three days from Dec. 15 to 17 at the Pekan Raya Jakarta Circuit (Indonesia / overall length: 1,200 m). Now in its fourth holding, the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is an international one-make championship competition using Yamaha's 4-stroke sporty moped model ridden by riders who have qualified by winning tough national competitions to compete in this event for the right to be called the fastest in the ASEAN region.
In the first holding of this competition in Indonesia in 2003, the competing riders were from the three countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In the second holding in 2004, two more countries joined the competition, the Philippines and Singapore. With this, riders from five countries competed for the championship titles. In this fourth holding this year, there will once again be riders from these five countries competing in two classes, an Expert Class and a Novice Class.
Amidst recent market conditions here in the ASEAN region where the interest in motor sports is growing and the number of young people pursuing active lifestyles is increasing, YMC has been promoting a wide range of activities aimed at (1) strengthening the image of Yamaha as a sporty brand and (2) promoting the development and spread of motorcycle sports in the ASEAN region. YMC considers the Yamaha ASEAN Cup to be a very important event that has special symbolic meaning among these.
As the hosts of this year's event, P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing (YIMM) and P.T. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia (YMKI) will take charge of the race operations. The models to be used in this competition are Yamaha's top-of-the-line 4-stroke moped T135 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter MX135) for the Expert Class and the region's popular 4-stroke sporty moped T110 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter Z) for the Novice Class.
Aims of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup
For Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC), the ASEAN region represents not only one of the fastest growing and developing motorcycle markets in the world but also the location of important manufacturing bases in Yamaha's global production network. For these reasons, the ASEAN market is an extremely important one to YMC and we are engaged in aggressive marketing activities aimed at its development. Among these, Yamaha places special importance on race activities, which have always been an important part of our corporate culture since the company's founding and a way of expressing the "Spirit of Challenge" that we value so highly. In the ASEAN region this Yamaha ASEAN Cup is an important symbol of the various activities we are engaged in, and we feel that it plays a critical role in promoting our brand strategy.
On the other hand, the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is more than simply a platform for brand communication. It is also a proving ground where riders and mechanics from across the region can come together and polish their skills in high-level competition, and strive for the next step up the ladder of success that leads eventually to the World GP of road racing. Yamaha plans to continue this competition long-term so that it will be a valuable primary step for supporting riders and teams that strive for international success in racing, carrying with them the dreams and hopes of the ASEAN region's motor sport fans.
One of the big themes of the Yamaha ASEAN Cup is to share Kando with the participating riders and team staff as well as the many spectators who come throughout the race week in ways that communicate Yamaha's corporate mission of "We Create Kando." During the race week there will be events like parties where the riders from the participating countries can meet in a friendly atmosphere, and there will also be an array of attractions and events to ensure that there is plenty of hospitality for the spectators.