Yamaha YZR-M1 '04 (No.46/No.47)

Tamiya releases the 2004 Yamaha YZR-M1 to our 1/12 scale motorcycle series. With 3-time world champion Valentino Rossi joining the Yamaha team this season, the YZR-M1 has been the closest watched bike in this year"s MotoGP. Following taking out the 2003 Riders Championship, his 3rd consecutive world title with Honda, Valentino Rossi shocked the racing world announcing he was transferring to rival Yamaha in 2004. For the Yamaha team, the signing of Rossi wasn"t the only big change for the 2004 season, the YZR-M1 also went through a lot of fine-tuning during the off-season, with major changes including a newly designed inverted swing arm and a more solid aluminum twin-spar deltabox frame. The powerful 990cc liquid-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine was also upgraded for improved traction and axle response. Exceeding all expectations, the new Rossi-Yamaha combination has already taken out 6 wins this season, with Rossi holding a healthy lead in the Riders Championship. If Rossi is able to maintain the lead and take out a historical fourth consecutive title, he will be the first Yamaha rider in 12 years to win the championship.