Yamaha TZ 125, 250, 350

Yamaha monopolized the sports-model racing field, though not the international market for production models, and the company won new glory with the TD 2 and TD 3 250. With this success under its belt, Yamaha then decided to go into the 125 and 350 classes. Yamaha's so-called "production models" had shone but not won, because of the tough competition of the Derbi in the 125 class and the MV Agusta in the 350 class.

Three new two-cylinder models were prepared, all with six-speed transmission, electronic ignition, and water cooling, and with them Yamaha made a large-scale reentry into official racing. The racers in 1972 were Charles Mortimer and Kent Andersson in the 125, Rodney Gould and Jarno Saarinen in the 250, and Saarinen again in the 350 class.

At the end of the season Saarinen was world champion in the 250 class but only one point ahead of the unlucky Renzo Pasolini, who rode the new, competitive Harley-Davidson. The greatest satisfaction, however, came from the progress that was made by the small 125, which won four Grand Prix and came in second and third in the final classification. In the 350 class Saarinen was beaten by Gia-como Agostini and the MV Agusta. The battle between the two men was so heatedly fought that it drew incredible attention from sportswriters eager to publicize the conflict.

In 1973 Yamaha had an even tougher team and clearly had its sights set on winning all three championships in which it was officially entered. Saarinen was the top racer on the team, and Yamaha withdrew from racing when he lost his life at Monza.

The company turned over its newest 125, 250, and 350 motorcycles to the Yamaha-Europa team of Amsterdam, which serviced the 125s that Andersson and Mortimer drove to the first two places in the world championship, as well as the 350 that was raced by Teuvo Lansivuori, who had been a great friend of Saarinen's.

The Yamaha 350 fought it out with the MV Agusta until the end of the season. Lansivuori's Yamaha was weighed during the preliminaries to the Dutch Grand Prix. It weighed less than 200 pounds, which would have been a low weight even for a 125. In 1973 a Yamaha again won the 250 championship. This time it was one of the finest private racers in the Continental Circus, Dieter Braun of Germany, who won. He had been 1970 world champion in the 125 class with a Suzuki—giving Suzuki its first title in that class since 1965.

The managers of the Yamaha company signed a fabulous two-year contract with Giacomo Agostini so that he would drive their official 350 and 500 models. The 350 they gave him was more than equal to the competition. Backed up by the best Japanese racer, Hideo Kanaya, Agostini easily won the 350 title, toppling the MV Agusta from its throne. From the beginning of the season MV had realized that the Yamaha 350 was too good, and thus had concentrated its efforts on winning in the 500 class.

Yamaha lost its dominance in the 250 class to Walter Villa's Harley-Davidson, but in 1974 the Japanese company confirmed its position in the 125 class despite tough opposition from Angel Nieto's Derbi.
In 1975 a Venezuelan driver began racing in Europe, a man who had put himself in a good light in the Daytona and Imoia 200s, driving a Yamaha four-cylinder 700. This man was Johnny Alberto Cecotto, and Yamaha saw fit to entrust him with two particularly good vehicles, a 250 and a 350, while keeping Agostini as their number-one man. Cecotto repaid that trust by beating teammate Agostini in the 350 class and winning his first world title at the age of nineteen.

Motorcycle: Yamaha TZ 250-350 Manufacturer: Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.,
Iwata Type: Racing Year: 1975
Engine: Yamaha two-cylinder, two-stroke, with cross-port distribution. Displacement 247.3 cc. (54 mm. X 54 mm — 250); 347.4 cc. (64 mm. x 54 mm.— 350)
Cooling: Water
Transmission: Six-speed block
Power: 50 hp. at 10,500 r.p.m. (250); 60 h.p. at 10,000 r.p.m. (350)
Maximum speed: Over 140 m.p.h. (250); about 150 m.p.h. (350)
Chassis: Double cradle, continuous, tubular. Front and rear, telescopic suspension
Brakes: Central drum, both wheels, on standard model; three disks, hydrauli-cally operated, installed on racing models