Just recently, Yamaha’s very own multiple-MotoGP world champion rider, Valentino Rossi, visited the Philippines to grace the launch of the Yamaha-Monumento LRT station in Caloocan City. Visiting along with him was his MotoGP teammate Maverick Vinales, who likewise boarded the Yamaha LRT train with him, for a short Northbound ride to the busy Monumento station, which is now decorated with the designs of Yamaha’s colorful ‘We Are Mio’ campaign.
The Yamaha-Monumento station was made possible through a partnership between Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. (YMPI) and the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRT). Through having its own, Yamaha-branded station, the company believes that it could better share its riding culture with more Filipinos – through its increased visibility, thanks to the heavy foot-traffic of the hub. This is also the closest LRT station to the famous ‘10th Avenue› of Caloocan, which is widely known as the capital of motorcycles in Metro Manila.
Impressively, Yamaha even had its own signature train plying the routes of the LRT. And of course it was this same train that the MotoGP riders boarded from the Roosevelt Station, during their ceremonial ride to the Yamaha-branded, Monumento hub.
Upon their arrival, the MotoGP stars were greeted by their fans, many of whom were holding up placards and shouting cheers. Rossi and Vinales then proceeded to signing some standees of themselves at the station. They also posed by the stars on the ground that bore their names, ala walk-of-fame style.
After this visit and ceremonial signing, Rossi and Vinales proceeded straight to the Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines, where many motorcycle enthusiasts converged to join in on the ongoing Yamaha pop-up festival, that celebrated the arrival of Yamaha’s MotoGP stars in the country. There, they interacted with their fans and answered some questions thrown at them, by excited Yamaha Club members. They also took this opportunity to award medals to 12 qualifying riders for the Yamaha Grand Prix.
Enthusiasts who were unable to physically make it to the festival still got opportunities to win shirts signed by the MotoGP stars, by participating in an online game. But some of those who made the effort to be there were lucky enough to get their helmets and accessories signed on the spot.
Finally, Rossi and Vinales pressed on to Seda Hotel where they joined the Yamaha dealers for the ‘Be Unstoppable’ 2018 Dealers Convention. As icons of global racing excellence, they were living proof of the capabilities and high performance that Yamaha motorcycles can provide to their users.
And when asked ‘What’s next for Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales?’ They unanimously answered that it was for them to focus on this year’s MotoGP season, and to likewise continue to spread the motivation towards achieving two-wheeled excellence, most especially to their loyal Filipino fans!
