Factory Yamaha to the Havasue 300

​R&D Factory Yamaha Team Follmer announced today their intention to field two Bill Chapin prepared R&D FACTORY YAMAHA personal watercraft in the IJSBA BULLETT National Team Endurance Championship 6 hour race to be contested at Lake Havasu’s Crazy Horse Campground on December 6th. Reigning IJSBA National Team Endurance Champion Mike Follmer outlined his teams plan to enter their R&D FACTORY YAMAHA GP1200R and their newly race prepped R&D FACTORY YAMAHA FX140 4-stroke watercraft.   The teams strategy mirrors the tortoise and hare tale in that the GP1200R with it’s proven championship winning speed and durability will lead the charge while the FX140, being raced for the first time, will rely on a constant speed and fewer fuel stops to make up valuable time on the 5 mile race course to prevail over the faster boats. Follmer will be teaming again with Greg Saugstad of Montclair on the GP1200R and with David Wulf of Upland who is returning from a brief retirement to team with Mike on the FX140. The Havasu 300 is a six hour endurance race that requires each two rider team to make several fuel stops and rider changes. “The logistics for this type of race require careful advanced planning to enable us to emerge triumphant again,” said Mike Follmer the teams owner, who went on to point out that this two boat effort will require him to ride each boat for 3 hours, meaning he will ride one boat or another for the entire six hour event.
   The teams FX140 has undergone extensive testing and modification under the supervision of Bill Chapin of R&D in Lake Havasu. “All of us at YAMAHA are intently watching this first racing effort of the FX140 and are completely behind R&D FACTORY YAMAHA Team Follmer in their quest to win another title for YAMAHA”, said Rick Phillips, YAMAHA WaterCraft Group Public Relations Manager. In closing, Follmer said, “We’re expecting a good showing from all our R&D FACTORY YAMAHA Team Follmer water craft and personnel in this Bullett IJSBA National Team Endurance race, but whatever the outcome, our long range plans are for 2004 to race the FX160 High Output and GP1300R are taking another large step forward”.