Last week we talked about the Yamaha Racing Heritage event held at the Jerez Circuit, and how some of the greats of motorcycling were enjoying old gems from the Iwata firm. Among all the Yamaha riders and all the bikes, Valentino Rossi riding Eddie Lawson’s YZR 500 was one of the most talked about.
Well, now Niccolò Canepa, who rode several historic bikes, has posted a video of his “rival” with Rossi when the nine-time World Champion was on track with it. In addition, Canepa was at the controls of another legendary bike, the Yamaha TZ750 from Sarrón.
It should be remembered that for a time the 500s were not the largest 2-stroke motorcycles. The 750s, which were first an FIM Cup and then a World Championship, also competed in their category, although not in the same field as the 500s.
That does not mean, however, that those beasts, at a time when neither the chassis, nor the tyres, nor the suspensions, nor the brakes had anything to do with what they are today, were fast bikes with a sound that even today makes your hair stand on end.
Rossi and Canepa only played, but it is still a delight for the senses
In the video that Canepa has uploaded to his YouTube channel we can enjoy that melody that only powerful two-stroke engines can offer us. A real treat for the ears, in which we can enjoy first-hand what it is like to ride alongside Valentino Rossi and even overtake him.
The raspy sound of the 750 contrasts with the slightly higher pitched sound of the 500. Although Nicolò is the one carrying the camera, when he rides behind Valentino, that melody that made our hair stand on end until the MotoGP bikes arrived comes through perfectly.
Obviously, nobody pushed these old gems to the limit, because a bad fall would mean their destruction, but it must be said that good old Nicolò didn’t hold back too much either. Perhaps he held back even less with Biaggi’s ex-YZR, but he hasn’t uploaded the video on it yet, although he did upload a video of himself behind it when Andrea Locatelli was riding it, who doesn’t seem to hold back much either…
