EVOLUTION OF THE ROSSI/RIDERS FOR HEALTH R1 PROJECT

Here's a little pictorial showing how the R1 project all came together. For more details about the purpose to raise funds for Riders for Health, see our website at: www.friendsofriders.org.

The Project

It all started with a sketch to capture the idea of Rossi's 5 Continents helmet design being splashed on a Yamaha R1. I used this in my presentation to Yamaha when I was requesting the motorcycle.

Picking up the new 2009 R1

Akrapovic not only provided an exhaust system, they added the Riders for Health logo using a printing process they have. Nice touch!

Another pricey donation came form Ohlins who sent this shock and a set of front forks for the R1.

Other upgrade products from Dynojet, EK, Vortex and others began to flow in.

Roland Sands Design not only donated a set of wheels and other sportbike goodies, but they helped with the installation of the new suspension system and related parts. Thanks to Cameron Brewer at RSD for all of his help with this.

I enlisted motorsports artist Hector Cademartori to do a better piece of artwork on the concept to show Aldo Drudi what we really had in mind for the graphics that he has agreed to make for us.

It didn't take Aldo too long and he was back to me with his layout design to fit the R1 bodywork. This art then was made into a big decal to splash over blue paint by Pole Position Graphics in Italy.

Meanwhile we were putting the rest of the bike back together. Mission Motorsports in Irvine, Ca did the installations at this stage.

Everything together now except the graphics.

Then the air shipment arrived from Italy!

Saddlemen's new R1 sportbike seat with the custom made #46 rear pad.

Finally it was time to take the wraps off at last year's Cycle World Show in Long Beach.

A year after he had approved giving me the R1, Bob Starr from Yamaha joined me on stage at the Long Beach press presentation.

The press liked it. This is the Cycle World story they ran.

Motorcyclist also gave it some coverage.

And at Laguna Seca last summer The Doctor finally got to have a look. I was explaining to him how we put it all together.

He really liked the way we used the windscreen to continue the graphics from the front of his helmet design.

The finishing touch was his autograph on the gas tank.

It's been two years, but the result was truly a one-of-a-kind motorcycle that will turn out to a final collectible from Valentino Rossi's years with Yamaha in MotoGP.