Legendary motocross stars, including Alessio “Chicco” Chiodi, Ryan Sipes, Ben Townley, Phil Nicoletti, Doug Dubach, Carson Brown, plus many more, brought the two-stroke noise to the Veterans Motocross des Nations in the UK to help celebrate Yamaha’s 70th anniversary with the Yamaha Racing Heritage Club (YRHC).
The YRHC was set up to safeguard and celebrate Yamaha’s rich racing legacy, and after honouring 70 years of Yamaha’s road racing history at the ADAC Sachsenring Classic earlier in the year, what better way to relive the glory of the two-stroke motocross days than taking part in the legendary Veterans Motocross des Nations (VMXdN) at Foxhill.
Before the racing action kicked off, there was a special treat in store for the fans as Yamaha unveiled for the first time in the UK, the new 2026 YZ450F 70th Anniversary edition with its iconic special red and white livery, which features a new engine, new exhaust, new frame, a hydraulic clutch and much more.
Once again, Rob “Doc Wob” Walters prepared a very special set of 2002 YZ250s, with a livery inspired by the 1998 YZM400F of Andrea Bartolini as part of Yamaha’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Who better to ride such iconic machines in the Crescent Yamaha VMXdN International Team Race than three-time FIM 125cc Motocross World Champion Chiodi (Team Italy), former AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross rider Sipes (Team USA), 2004 FIM MX2 World Champion Townley (Team Rest of the World), and recently crowned 2025 450 Canadian National Pro Champion Nicoletti (Team USA).
If that wasn’t enough, former AMA Pro Motocross rider Dubach and two-time Red Bull Straight Rhythm 125cc Champion Brown would be competing on a pair of 2008 Stolen Yamaha YZ250s in the The Range Evo Plus Over 50 and the Bin Van World Evo Ultra Plus categories, respectively.
The riding all weekend was fast and furious, with the notorious Foxhill track taking no prisoners. In the Crescent Yamaha VMXdN International Team Race, it came right down to the wire with both Team USA featuring Nicoletti, Sipes, and Christophe Pourcell, and Team Italy’s Chiodi, Ivo Monticelli, and Davide Philippaerts tied on precisely the same number of points after four motos in a thrilling finish.
Team USA ended up taking the overall victory after a countback due to the fact that they won more motos, with Team Italy second and Team GB third, with seven of the nine bikes on the podium being Yamaha YZ250s. Townley also gave it his all representing the Rest of the World, and after struggling on Saturday, he showed his class on Sunday to score a holeshot and a top ten finish to help his team to seventh overall.
Brown pulled off a sensational sweep to win all four of the Big Van World Evo Ultra motos and secure the overall victory. At the same time, Dubach showed remarkable consistency in The Range Evo Plus Over 50 class, claiming three seconds and a third to finish second overall.
As always at the VMXdN, though, it wasn’t just the racing action that caught the attention, with the Crescent Yamaha stand showcasing the latest Yamaha off-road models. At the same time, there were various meet and greets and signing sessions with the star riders throughout the weekend to entertain the passionate fans, as the event proved the perfect way to celebrate iconic two-stroke motocross bikes and Yamaha’s 70th anniversary.
