Female champion Nina Prinz on YZF-R1
Yamaha has long recognized that not only many women ride motorcycles, but that they like to ride fast on a race track too. The most recent proof comes in the shape of current Women's 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 Jorg Teuchert and Polish rider Andrzej Pawalec.
On her signing Nina says; "I am very please 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 Jorg 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.
