Padgetts Yamaha YZR500 GP Bike wins TT

Valvoline Padgetts Yamaha YZR500 GP Bike wins the Isle of Man Classic TT

Evotech Performance were very proud to be approached by Clive Padgett with a request for a bespoke radiator guard for his Yamaha YZR500 which he intended to enter into the 2014 Isle of Man Classic TT Race. The Isle of Man Mountain Circuit is one of the most challenging in the world of motorcycling and requires the bikes and riders alike to be at peak performance. A road circuit holds its own challenges for riders and the bikes; there is often a lot of debris thrown up off the front wheel, with average speeds often exceeding 120mph. Radiators are in direct firing line of road debris and it only takes a small stone to puncture the radiator to bring a teams TT dreams to an abrupt end. Clive Padgett’s long standing professional relationship with Evotech Performance gave him the confidence to come directly to EP with his request for this exciting project.

 Yamaha YZR 500 Radiator Guard

Using a vast knowledge of radiator guard design, the Evotech Performance team approached the project for the Padgetts bike in the same way as our production guards. Ensuring the guard carefully followed the contours of the radiator, EP were able to produce a lightweight, strong guard that sat in the confined space in front of the radiator without the need for any modification to the 20 year old YZR500 GP bike. Bruce Ansty managed to pilot the YZR500 to first place in the Classic TT, breaking the class lap record in the process with a 123.894mph lap. This is a huge achievement for not only the 45-year old Kiwi, but the whole Padgetts team involved in resurrecting the YZR, having not been raced for 18 years. Evotech Performance are very proud of their involvement with this project, helping to ensure the bike was able to stay in perfect working order for Bruce over the weekend.

Yamaha YZR 500 GP bike

The Yamaha YZR 500 two-stroke GP bike is very different to the Superbikes of today that usually grace the 37.75 mile mountain course of the Isle of Man. This bike, from the 1990’s, was Yamaha’s entry into the 500cc Grand Prix, securing multiple world championships with various riders in an era with no rider aids such as traction control, ABS or anti-wheelie. This makes Bruce and the Padgetts team’s achievements all the more admirable, having replaced very few of the standard components on the bike with modern technology.

Radiator Guards

Evotech Performance have been designing and manufacturing radiator guards in the UK for over a decade. All EP guards include our unique hexagonal matrix of holes, allowing for maximum airflow through the radiator whilst offering great protection from road debris. This one piece construction allows us to create a slender, lightweight guard without the need for a separate frame and mesh construction. For a detailed look at Evotech Performance Radiator Guards please read the Radiator Guards blog, or use the Make, Model, Year search function on the EP homepage to find products for your bike.

By Dan Rack on 05 September 2014