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Nina Prinz to Race on a Yamaha R1

Nina Prinz

European Women Champion Nina Prinz on Yamaha R1

Text and Photos Courtesy Yamaha Racing.  Edited by webBikeWorld.com.

Yamaha has long recognized that not only do many women ride motorcycles -- they like to ride fast on a race track too.

The most recent proof comes in the shape of current Womens’ Road Racing European Champion in the 1000 class Nina Prinz, who will team up with Yamaha in 2008.

Twenty-five-year-old Nina, from Mannheim/Leutkirch in Germany, won all three 2007 European Women Championship races sanctioned by the UEM (European Motorcycle Union).

This success landed her with the opportunity to defend her title on Yamaha’s YZF-R1 Superbike flagship, which she will race for the first time at Misano (I) on 13 April, then Assen (NL) on 15 June and the final Championship round will be held at Albacete (ESP) on 12 October.

Nina and her R1 will also be competing in the male-dominated IDM German Superbike Championship for Team Yamaha Motor Germany, riding alongside former 2000 World Supersport champion Jörg Teuchert and Polish rider Andrzej Pawalec.

On her signing Nina says; “I am very pleased to have signed with Yamaha for this season!  During my first two outings on the R1 at Misano and during the Yamaha Race Training in Valencia last week, I was really impressed by the bike in terms of power and stability."

"The team has prepared a perfect bike for me and being part of this outfit hopefully enables me to progress further.  With experienced riders as Jörg aboard, I can really learn a lot.  Both championships are very competitive but my goal is to score as many points as possible in the IDM and consolidate my championship title status in the Womens Championship this year.  The fact that Yamaha actively supports female riders is a very positive development for the sport and for us women in particular!”

Nina got into motorcycle racing via minibikes and got really serious when she entered the national ADAC Junior Cup in Germany in 2000.  Since then she has graduated through National Supersport racing, improving all the time, before adding some IDM Superbike experience and European Womens’ Championship rides to her portfolio in 2006. Nina simply dominated the 2007 UEM series.

Nina is the second female star that is officially supported by Yamaha.  Reigning FIM Motocross Women’s World Cup champion Katherine Prumm from New Zealand will race on a Yamaha YZ250F in the newly established 2008 Women Motocross World Championship.  Both Nina and Katherine hope to continue their success with Yamaha and contribute to the increasing popularity of female motorcycle riding and competition.

Nina Prinz Wins Debut Race
During the first round of the European Championship Road Racing Women’s 1000cc held at Misano Adriatico (Italy) last weekend, Nina Prinz (Team Yamaha Motor Germany) debuted on the R1 and took it to an impressive victory.  The reigning European champion, from Mannheim/Leutkirch in Germany, had been consistently fast during all qualifying sessions and dominated throughout the weekend, even during qualifying where she competed against many men from the open class.

Starting from pole-position in the Women’s round, Nina led the entire race lapping a considerable three seconds per laps faster than her rivals, some on 1000ccc machinery other on 600cc.  Over the race distance of 10 laps she managed to create a comfortable 32 second gap and thus take victory with relative ease.  Susie Grayson from Great Britain finished 3rd aboard her YZF-R1.

With the first round completed in the women’s championship the team looks forward with confidence towards the remaining two rounds, the next being held in Assen (the Netherlands) on the 15th of June.  A secondary championship that the team attends with riders; Jorg Teuchert, Andrzej Pawalec and Nina Prinz, is the German Superbike Championship (IDM) starting in two weeks time at the Lausitzring. Nina will be competing among 58 other (male) riders in a very competitive field.

With the official support of the promising Nina Prinz, Yamaha is aiming to increase the popularity of female motorcycle riding and racing.

Nina Prinz:  “This first race was really perfect!  The bike worked great and we had no problems at all during any of the sessions.  In qualifying it was quite difficult to put in a fast lap as it was busy on the track with 36 riders, of which only 10 were reasonably competitive.  It was a nice experience to be the fastest one out there, even faster than the men in the open class.  The woman’s championship is nice but the real challenge for me will be the IDM.  I think I will be able to learn a lot there.  I hope to score some points in IDM but it for sure will not be easy.”


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