Yamaha made a moving tribute to Fabrizio Pirovano at the Estoril round of the World Superbike championship using a YZF-R1 in modern replica colours. Celebrating Fabrizio’s 10th and final WSBK victory in 1993, the one of a kind bike will be auctioned off to raise funds for cancer research.
The bike ridden by former Yamaha WSBK racer Alessandro Gramigni around the Estoril track, watched on by Fabrizio’s family.
Pirovano, an original rider from the first season of WSBK in 1988, rode for Yamaha from 1988 through to 1993, taking many victories and podiums and at the time of writing is still in the top 10 for starts, points and podiums, but never managed to take a pole position. Later moving over to World Supersport championship taking the title in 1998 with top 10 finishes in the other four seasons he entered.
Fabrizio passed away on 12th June 2016, after losing a battle with an incurable brain tumour aged 56.
A stunning modern take on a retro
The bike itself is based on the 2020spec R1, in the famous white, pink and blue Yamaha racing colours of the Number 5, YZF750SP.
Yamaha are auctioning off the one of a kind YZF-R1 from the tribute at Estoril via an online auction starting Thursday 22nd October and ending on Sunday 1st November.
The amount raised will be donated to the cancer research charity Fondazione Oncologia Niguarda Onlus, chosen by Fabrizio’s family.
The winning bidder has the choice of the bike in race trim, or road legal trim with the Akrapovic exhaust, slick tyres and wheels supplied as a separate track kit.