Unlike Honda, or even Suzuki, it’s easy to forget that Yamaha has figured prominently in the automotive world in past years, and one look at the company’s R1DT dirt track car is a cool reminder that the tuning fork brand is happy to throw its weight into four-wheeled motorsports when it senses a good opportunity.
Sure, Yamaha Motor Corporation doesn’t have a passenger car division like its aforementioned Japanese rivals, but Yamaha loves car racing as much as any OEM. The Yamaha-powered Arrows F1 car is a prime example of Yamaha’s past efforts in automobile racing.
But Yamaha has never attempted to build its own car for American dirt track auto racing before now. That’s what the R1DT concept is all about, and to test the validity of the project, Yamaha invited us to Perris Auto Speedway in Southern California last weekend to witness eight R1DTs get flogged in an all-star exhibition race during the running of one of the premier sprint car races in the country, the 22nd Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals. Dave Park, Yamaha’s R1DT project manager, explained the idea behind the R1DT concept.
“The Yamaha R1DT concept car is an exciting new concept that has the potential to introduce dirt track enthusiasts to Yamaha quality and performance while simultaneously attracting more motorsports enthusiasts and racers to the exciting world of dirt track racing,” said Park in an R1DT press packet released at the race. “Over the course of the year, we have seen growing anticipation from both fans and racers to see what this vehicle is capable of, and we’re excited to see these amazing professional racers climb into these cars and turn some laps together in what we expect will be a fun and exciting exhibition race.”
But why would Yamaha be interested in dirt track automobile racing anyway? Does the company somehow see a golden opportunity to revolutionize the sport with a spec racer? Probably not. Instead, consider the R1DT to be a vehicle in more ways than just the obvious one. In a Q&A document released among the mountain of information that Yamaha offered on the R1DT project, the company stated, “Yamaha not only has a rich history of racing, but of innovation and diversification. Because dirt track racers and fans already use other Yamaha products like power equipment, motorcycles and ATVs, dirt track racing is a natural next step for Yamaha.”
Thus, Yamaha is using the R1DT as a very cool racing vehicle with the potential to increase the exposure of its other powersports products.
Supplying engines to other builders simply wasn’t part of the plan. Yamaha wanted to prove its capabilities by developing the R1DT as a turn-key racing vehicle, from the drawing board to the dirt track, to ensure that the finished product is up to the tuning fork brand’s quality and safety standards. Plus, once Yamaha committed the budget to the project, there was little chance that the R1DT could be stalled-out due to lack of R&D money or a potential lack of interest by a sub-contractor from within the race car industry. That said, Yamaha has stated that it would be open to supplying engines if the right opportunity came along.
For the R1DT, Yamaha worked closely with Jeff Palhegyi, a talented custom fabricator who has a rich history in constructing all manner of amazing motorcycle concepts in collaboration with Yamaha. Most of those have been street bikes, but Pahlegyi has proved his acumen in developing race vehicles as well, having been responsible for the design and construction of the Yamaha DT-07 flat-track bike.
Palhegyi was responsible for the construction of the original R1DT prototype a couple years ago, and the design has undergone two revisions since the first version put wheels on the ground. The car’s gorgeous rolling chassis is classic dirt track, appearing to be a cross between a late model dirt track stock car and a class of car known as a modified.
But it’s really the powerplant that qualifies the R1DT as uniquely Yamaha. The R1DT is motivated by a 998cc, DOHC, fuel-injected, inline four-cylinder engine taken directly from the Yamaha YZF-R1S production superbike. Yamaha is confident that the high-tech engine is durable enough to handle the rigors of dirt track racing without requiring a bunch of modifications. The engine itself is already adjustable, boasting variable engine output [driving mode] capabillty and data acquisition that Yamaha says can be used to assist in advancing a novice driver’s skill level and experience.
Of course, at Perris Auto Speedway, Yamaha wanted to show just what the R1DT is a capable of with experienced drivers in the seat, so the company selected drivers from a variety of racing disciplines to demonstrate the eight cars on hand at the Oval Nationals. They included CJ Greaves, a three-time Pro 4 champion, three-time Pro 2 champion and current Pro Stock UTV champion of the Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series; Dirt late model stock car racing legend Donnie Moran, 2012 ARCA Super Stock class champion Natalie Decker, four-time AMA Superbike champion Josh Hayes, two-time Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Racing series Production 1000 Side by Side champion and former AMA Four-Stroke National Motocross champion Dustin Nelson; Formula DRIFT and D1 veteran Ken Gushi; sprint car and Midget racing legend Cory Kruseman; and American Flat Track veteran and former AMA Grand National Combined Dirt Track Champion Sammy Halbert.
Watching the R1DT cars take to the 3/8-mile Perris Auto Speedway oval was intriguing, and it was clear from the outset that the cars are no novelty act. The cars were plenty quick as they shrieked around the grippy, semi-banked clay track, and they appeared to handle like proper dirt track cars should as their drivers flung broadside into the corners. About the only distasteful part of the show was the constant banging of the rev limiters that was audible from the stands as the cars entered turn one. Kruseman later told us that he was shifting the R1DT’s six-speed transmission about 12 times per lap in order to keep the engine singing at the optimum revs to make a fast circuit of the track. On the flip side, Halbert, who admittedly wasn’t cutting the fastest times, chose to run his car in fourth gear all the way around on every lap.
An eight-lap heat race set the field for the 20-lap feature. Nelson was far and away the fastest driver on the track as he handily took the heat win, but the decision to fully invert what turned out to be a six-car main event field after two of the eight cars in attendance suffered unrelated issues that prevented them from making the start—with one of the cars belonging to Halbert. Nelson rocketed to the front early, only to get overanxious and tangle with leader Gushi, causing both to spin and bringing out a yellow flag. On the restart, Greaves assumed control of the race, and he would go on to score the win, followed by Moran.
“It was pretty crazy to be able to have people from almost everything on wheels and an engine all racing against each other,” Greaves said. “So much talent all the way through the field. It was a blast racing the new R1DT, and if you ever get a chance to drive one of these you won’t be disappointed.”
Decker finished third, and her result was perhaps a testament to just how easy it is to get comfortable with the R1DT. Decker had been unable to participate in any of the practice sessions leading up to the Perris event, and she admitted to having little dirt experience, yet her talent was clearly on display in the R1DT as she landed a podium finish.
“I can’t thank Yamaha enough for having me out for the inaugural R1DT Invitational race,” Natalie Decker said. “It was really cool to be a part of the event, representing TRD and competing side by side against some of the best drivers from a variety of motorsport disciplines. The car itself was so much fun and easy to drive. There’s no question this model would be the perfect car for a driver moving up the ranks or even someone with more experience. It’s definitely got plenty of speed and handling to be super racey. It’s really going appeal to a wide variety of drivers.”
Runner-up Moran noted that the R1DT “has a bright future,” but that remains to be seen. Yamaha has not yet committed to production of the R1DT, and no price has been set, although rumblings are that the car would be around $30,000, ready to race. Yamaha’s tentative plan is to sell the car through select Yamaha dealerships and to be able to provide parts through its dealer network. If the plan goes through, it will be interesting to see just how many R1DTs are ordered and what kind of impact the R1DT has on the four-wheeled racing world.
But they sure looked like a good time at Perris Auto Speedway.
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