#YamahaYFZ450R

Following a banner season in 2013, the Yamaha ATV Racing team is off to a strong start in 2014 topping podiums and leading three major series across the country.

Reigning back-to-back AMA ATV champion Chad Wienen won the season opener at Aonia Pass MX atop his YFZ450R, while teammate Thomas Brown, who placed second overall in the 2013, finished fifth.

“We had good starts in both moto’s last weekend, and that was key — the track didn’t allow for much passing,” says Wienen. “My new Wienen Motorsports YFZ450R was working great. We’re very happy to come out with the win and start the season off with the red plate.”

From this point on every Yamaha ATV Side-by-Side will be produced in its Newnan, Ga. facility. Yamaha announced that its vehicle production transfer from overseas to the United States was complete at a dealer event on June 11 in Las Vegas. The move adds hundreds of jobs to the Newnan facility.

Yamaha also announced that it has opened a second dedicated assembly plant in Newnan for the production of future SxS products, including the new Viking, an all-new vehicle that sets a new standard in the three-person multi-purpose SxS segment.

VikingForum.org

Since the ATV production transfer strategy was first announced in 2010, Yamaha has moved production of all of its models like the Grizzly 700 FI and most recently the YFZ450R. All of these ATVs, along with all of Yamaha’s SxS vehicles, are now produced exclusively at YMMC for worldwide distribution.

Already the largest employer in Newnan, Yamaha is poised to continue growing in Georgia and will add another 100 jobs to support Viking production in Plant 2 this year. Another 300 jobs could be added over the next three to five years based on forecasts. The advanced manufacturing facility covers more than 850,000 square feet and includes the latest technology, equipment and procedures in motorsports manufacturing.

Lone Star Racing, one of the ATV industry’s biggest aftermarket manufacturers, is getting into the exhaust business.

“In an effort to continue to grow our product line, we are pleased to announce the new Lone Star Racing Exhaust Systems,” Lone Star Racing says in a release. “We teamed up with top engine builders Moto-Xperts and designed a full exhaust system that not only provides top performance through extensive dyno testing, but also great sounding exhaust and stylish accents to keep your quad looking great at the same time.”

Consumers can pre-order exhaust systems for the Honda TRX450 and Yamaha YFZ450R now. Lone Star Racing says the exhaust systems will be ready to ship in early December.