Yamaha Motor Philippines reasserts its commitment to Philippine motorsports with the announcement of its 2024 racing team. At an event titled “Champions Rising: Racing Beyond Limits,” Yamaha introduced a high-caliber stable of riders for both circuit and off-road events.

Coming off a three-year stint in the FIM JuniorGP European Championship, McKinley Kyle “The Wonderboy” Paz will be competing this time in the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) for the SS600 category. Fans will note that he was the 2019 UB150 champion, a feat that landed him a seat in the European Championship.

While he struggled throughout the three seasons against a hyper-competitive field, it’s hoped that the valuable experience he learned in Europe will translate well in the ARRC. He will be racing under the Yamaha Tekhne ASEAN Team.

Meanwhile, this will be the third year for April King “Rocketboy” Mascardo and Gian “The Flash” Carlo in the UB150 class, still racing under UMA MMR Yamaha Philippine Racing Team. Mascardo finished third overall in his first year, but podium positions have eluded both riders since. Let’s hope 2024 will be their year to shine.

Fans who want to watch the races will be pleased to note that Yamaha has also entered into a partnership with Two Wheels Motor Racing (TWMR), the official race promoter and rights holder of the ARRC. Both SS600 and UB150 categories will be streamed live on the Yamaha Philippines Facebook page.

For the off-road category, Yamaha has Bornok “The Lion” Mangosong and Pia “The Princess of Philippine Motocross” Gabriel.

Bornok has been named Rider of the Year for three straight years already, a Triple Crown achievement. Pia, on the other hand, has a reputation for being the top female rider in the country. She is a two-time Female Rider of the Year, and is set to claim a third crown this year.

Aside from these high-powered riders, Yamaha has also identified several up-and-coming talents.

Moy Reyes, Zain Kaizzer Doblada, and Mytchell Joshua Ngo—all barely in their teens—have qualified to be part of the R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship. All three are set to compete in the regional tournament in order to qualify for the world championship in 2025.

Finally, Yamaha introduced its satellite teams, which receive considerable financial support as well as OEM parts and race bikes.

These are the 4S1M Yamaha Evo Racing Team with JE “The Hitman” Inguito in the UB150 category of the ARRC, and the SEC Yamaha Racing Team with JD Purino, Andrei Reyes, and Bethany Tolentino set to continue their dominance in national competitions.

With most bases covered in local and regional motorsports, it looks like this will be another year for cementing Yamaha’s reputation as a solid, high-performance brand.