VOL. 55 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 27, 2018 P95
S
G
oing professional road racing is serious business.
To be competitive, a rider must have it all—raw
speed, tactical race craft, and the ability to
develop a motorcycle that is capable of winning. Missing
one of those? Well, your career might be over before it
even begins.
This is the harsh reality of motorcycle racing, which
is especially unfair to the youngsters coming through
the ranks. These kids might possess the speed and
tactics on track, but without the experience and funding
to experiment with various parts and setups needed for
development, reaching their dream is nearly impossible.
But what if there was an option to totally eliminate the
trials and tribulations of developing a motorcycle and
only have to focus on racing at the big stage? Now,
imagine there's an opportunity to knock on the door
of one of the most successful teams in the American
paddock, purchase a turn-key race bike from them,
receive technical support to ensure that bike is always
competitive, and have a four-time superbike champion as
your rider coach. Ah, yes. It's possible.
Enter the Graves/Yamaha YZF-R3 Support Program.
This project has been built by Graves Racing Services—
a Los Angeles-based shop that is responsible for domi-
nating middleweight road racing over the last decade—in
BY MICHAEL GILBERT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRAVES RACING SERVICES
STEPPING
STONES
THE GRAVES /YAMAHA
YZF -R3 SUPPORT
PROGRAM IS THE PERFECT
OPPORTUNIT Y FOR RACERS
LOOKING TO MAKE A
SPL ASH IN MOTOAMERICA
