Source: Supplied.

Yamaha Financial Services (YFS) will back Australia’s 2016 WorldSBK opener with the 26-28 February event to be known as the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round, Phillip Island.

The sponsorship was announced today by Brad Ryan, general manager of Yamaha Motor Finance Australia, and will see the insurance and finance group sponsor the event for 2016.

“World Superbikes, like Yamaha Finance and Insurance, is for real motorcyclists,” said Ryan. “So with Yamaha re-joining the world supers as competitors in 2016 and with Yamaha Finance’s continued expansion in Australia and around the globe, supporting the Phillip Island World Superbike round was an easy decision.

“This sponsorship strengthens our support of grass roots racing, coming off the back of our 2015 sponsorship of the ASBK and the Australian MX Nationals. We know many of our finance and insurance customers attend the Phillip Island round, and even more follow the world supers all year.

“We’ll have plenty of promotions for our customers to get involved with both before and during the event, plus a huge presence at the Trade Expo. We’ll have the Yamaha 60th Anniversary truck on display and some of our famous promotional staff riding around the track with an opportunity to win a new Yamaha. We invite all of our finance and insurance customers to come and say hello!

“We’re delighted to be associated with such a blue ribbon event and look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Dorna and the Phillip Island GP circuit.”

Yamaha returns to the WorldSBK championship for 2016 with 2014 world champion Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli and the UK’s Alex Lowes, leading the campaign on board the YZF-R1M.

“I’m really thrilled to welcome Yamaha Financial Services to our event,” said Fergus Cameron, managing director of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Everyone loves world supers at the Island. Our track seems to deliver the fastest, closest racing on the planet and now with the backing of YFS, we can add further resources and impetus to the event.

“We have always promised our fans a World Superbike Island Scorcher and the starting line-up is getting more exciting each week. For Australians we are welcoming the super-Joshes. Both Josh Brookes from Sydney and Josh Hook from Taree have scored A-grade season rides in supers, so the stage is set for a massive weekend.”

This year’s Phillip Island round promises 20 percent more racing from Friday through to Sunday, with Australian championship opening rounds for national classes of Superbikes, Supersport and Moto3/125GP plus Historic action.

Check out www.ticketek.com.au for tickets for Phillip Island with a three-day General Admission pass at $115 per adult, Sunday only 80 per adult, and kids 15 and under free. Consider camping at the circuit for just $100 per person for four nights – with kids 15 and under free when accompanied by a paying adult. For further information at www.worldsbk.com.au.