A decade of constant shifting left Yamaha vulnerable in the MXGP paddock. Now, the Japanese manufacturer is making its boldest move yet ahead of the 2027 season.

In a statement on Wednesday, October 14, Yamaha announced that it has severed ties with Hans Corvers' Kemea operation, cut its MX2 squad and relocated the MXGP team to Gerno di Lesmo. Reversing the heavily criticized move to push Kemea from MX2 into MXGP is a public admission of failure – exposing a dire situation and a desperate race to restore credibility.

CHAOTIC RESHUFFLING

Louis Vosters' operation steered Yamaha in MXGP from 2020 to 2023. The jump from Michele Rinaldi's Italian squad in the fall of 2019 rocked the space – it marked the first notable shift to the manufacturer's slate in decades. It was a timely decision: Vosters' investment into his satellite Yamaha effort dwarfed most factories and Rinaldi, despite a flurry of success, would never overcome Father Time.

A transition was inevitable thus it was prescient of Yamaha to act despite internal pushback, particularly from a handful of riders.

While Vosters' tenure lacked wins – nine in four years and seventy-three tries – his three-man roster took more podiums than Yamaha ever had in a season and offered vital stability. That was until Yamaha, to Vosters' disbelief, shattered their stable and handed the premier-class program to Kemea, who thrived in equal measure in the MX2 class. The ecosystem worked in its infancy, so few could reason with the brash decision to start over.

There was never a clear reason for the split: some riders who had climbed Yamaha's ladder to MXGP pushed to rekindle their relationship with Kemea, while rumors swirled that the manufacturer became concerned by how aggressive Vosters was in his pursuit of wins (and his methods to arrive there, like holding conversations with Jorge Prado about the possibility of buying him out of his KTM AG contract).

Controversially, Yamaha Motor Europe also opted to move on from a successful (and proven) relationship with Star to protect its partnership with Rinaldi, who transitioned into R&D for those MXGP and MX2 teams. Star supplied the MX2 effort with motors in their most prosperous seasons, which naturally captured the attention of the 450F riders. It hit a point where just Jeremy Seewer chose a Rinaldi-tuned motor after a back-to-back test.

Star is proven in the United States, critical to Yamaha's organization and contributed to incredible success in the MX2 class. Alas, that connection to Europe was severed in one winter in a bid to retake control. Information was extracted from the Star experience, nonetheless, so Rinaldi believed that they could replicate the system on their own merit. That never materialized and Yamaha's results suffered, as did the Star relationship.

Yamaha Motor Europe had control of their MXGP ecosystem once more, but at what cost?

Image: Ray Archer

CATALYST: TIM GAJSER

Yamaha's line-up was long used to explain away their lack of success. Since Romain Febvre's departure in 2019, they lacked a proven MXGP winner. Acquiring Tim Gajser before 2026's FIM Motocross World Championship promised competitiveness but also exposed their system to immediate scrutiny. It was a true trial – and one that unraveled far faster than anyone anticipated.

Gajser, a consummate professional, hid his frustration in a winless season, yet his disappointment was apparent. Five podiums in seventeen attempts made this his worst spell – a stark contrast to 2025, when he claimed seven trophies in eleven starts despite a severe shoulder separation. In various discussions, Gajser cited the YZ450FM's top-heavy mass and "lazy" motor as core issues.

Relentless development with the defunct Kemea outfit and YRRD (Yamaha Rinaldi Research and Development) yielded little improvement. Exasperation led Gajser to travel across to Tallahassee, Florida, after August's MXGP of Flanders for testing with Star Racing – reigniting a cross-Atlantic connection that had lain dormant since late 2022. The decision unsettled some in blue, but a talent of this caliber commands leverage.

Gajser was comforted by additional resources and brainpower, found a motor that settled his qualms and returned to Europe with additional chassis components. While the process was productive, it was incredibly sensitive within Yamaha Motor Europe. The test has not been addressed publicly, at the manufacturer's request, and there was fear that letting him race with the American motor would undermine YRRD.

Gajser flexed his authority, forced the issue and ran the American package for the rest of the year despite powerful skeptics.

Image: Ray Archer

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The U.S. trip underlined a clear fact: Star leads in YZ development. The real question was whether corporate pride would prevent the riders from having a set-up needed to win – a missing piece for the factory over the last half-decade. It posed a conundrum: contradict past decisions and admit defeat or double down on those mistakes and protract frustrations.

Yamaha chose the former. The structure that was launched for the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship has been abolished and the manufacturer will start from 'zero' for the third time in nine years. In a sense, Yamaha was more forceful than most pictured (Kemea had been loyal to Yamaha and delivered success, while their stint in MXGP underwhelmed few would have criticized their operation).

Crucially, conversations with Star have relaunched. It's unknown how involved they'll be, although Gajser should continue with their offering and further involvement is on the table per recent encounters. It's more proof of a difficult – but applaudable – decision from Yamaha, as they publicly undo the decisions that they approved years ago. While faces from the past have reappeared, a new dawn has broken.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will be based out of the Yamaha Campus in Gerno di Lesmo, Italy, not far from the famous Monza street circuit. The MotoGP and Rally Raid programs already exist there, so Yamaha's race teams will be centralized in a location under the supervision of motorsport manager Andrea Dosoli. It's a move that eliminates all excuses. If this doesn't work, then what could possibly be the next move?

Once again, Yamaha finds itself under intense, uncomfortable scrutiny. Choosing transparency over comfort is commendable but make no mistake: only race wins will justify the gamble.