Manufacturer’s Cup: Yamaha on Top
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If you’ve watched Formula 1’s Drive to Survive or have been a fan for forever, then you know the manufacturer’s cup is nearly as important as the driver’s championship. That’s not always been the case in moto, but there’s a bit more emphasis the past few seasons. We thought a quick update at the halfway mark of the 2024 season was worth it.
Manufacturer’s Cup is pretty simple. The points for the best finishing rider on a given manufacturer (not team) are counted each week. For example, last week in Birmingham Cooper Webb was the best Yamaha in the 450’s (2nd / 22 pts) and Jeremy Martin was the best Yamaha in the 250’s (5th / 17 pts) and that gives Yamaha 39 Manufacturer Cup points.
Yamaha has won 4 of 9 rounds, including the last 2, and has a +32 point lead over Kawasaki. With 7 riders contributing a best finish, Yamaha has the most of riders contributing points. 6 of those 7 riders are from Star Racing Yamaha and Jeremy Martin of the FXR Muc-off ClubMX team is the 7th rider to contribute with his 5th place finish in Birmingham.
Manufacturer’s Cup Rankings By Round
Kawasaki sits second in the standings and it’s the Pro Circuit Kawasaki 250 team that’s anchoring the results with a series leading 197 points while the Factory Kawasaki effort has delivered 151 points. Jason Anderson has contributed 137 points and is the top Kawasaki rider while Levi Kitchen has delivered 106 points and is the top 250 Kawasaki rider.
Manufacturer’s Cup by Division
Honda has the benefit of the 450 series leader Jett Lawrence. Jett’s contributed 8 of 9 rounds and leads all riders with points counting towards the cup (172). Unfortunate for Honda, their 250 effort is a bit off the pace of Kawasaki and Yamaha. Jo Shimoda, Max Anstie, Carson Mumford, and Chance Hymas have scored a combined 155 pts vs. Kawasaki’s 197 and Yamaha’s 190.
Photo: Garth Milan
KTM is 60 points back of Yamaha and will need Julien Beaumer or Joshua Varize to step up in the 250 West regional series if they are to contend for the cup. The 450 contributions of Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger (183 combined pts) put them a slim 7 points back of 450 leader Yamaha (190), but the KTM 250 riders are -43 points off the pace of Kawasaki’s strong 250 effort.
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GasGas, Suzuki, and Husqvarna are separated by just 10 points sitting in 5th through 7th. Justin Barcia (81 pts) and Pierce Brown (69 pts) are leading the way for GasGas. Ken Roczen has delivered 153 pts for Suzuki and his points have counted every single round (the only rider with this feat). Husqvarna is the only team led by a 250 rider – RJ Hampshire has delivered 101 pts. The Husqvarna crew has had one helluva tough season with Christian Criag and Guillem Farres both out for the season. Good news ahead as Malcolm Stewart has 4 straight top 10 finishes including a season best 7th at Daytona 2 weeks ago.
Honda has won the Cup the last 4 years, but it looks like there’s strong competition from Yamaha and Kawasaki who may end that streak. Hit us up on Instagram or Twitter and let us know who you’re picking for the 2024 Manufacturer’s Cup.