Image: Supplied.

Yamaha Racing Team will sport a special retro livery on the factory YZF-R1Ms of Wayne Maxwell and Daniel Falzon at this weekend’s third round of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Yamaha’s R1 superbike first released in 1998, YRT’s ASBK race bikes will be adorned with a selection of subtle logos for the occasion in the series’ maiden appearance at the world-class South Australian facility.

“The Yamaha R1 has proven to be an amazing bike for Yamaha and now in its 20th year, it is still going strong,” commented Yamaha motorsport manager Ray Howard. “While not a complete throwback to the original 1998 model, this weekend we celebrate 20 years of R1 with some artwork inspired by the original bike.”

Yamaha’s factory outfit has achieved immense success locally with the varied R1 models since its introduction, including the ASBK crown with Jamie Stauffer in 2006 and 2007. The team has also captured an assortment of Australasian and Formula Xtreme-based titles during the past two decades.