After the Yamaha YZR500 won the World Championship in 1975, Yamaha's 2-stroke 500cc GP racers began their reign as top category machines in the Bike Off-road World Championship. Beginning in 2002, 4-stroke 990cc racers were allowed to participate and to allow mixed races, as a new class named MotoGP was created. Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and the Aprilia entered 4-stroke machines to compete against 2 stroke machines during a season that had fans on the edge of their seats. In the 2002 season, Yamaha entered 8 machines under 4 teams. The factory team was equipped with a 2-stroke YZR500. The year 2002 marked Japanese rider Norifumi "Norick" Abe's 7th full year in the World Championships as he raced once again under the Antenna 3 Yamaha d'Antin Team. The team's machine was the latest evolution of the YZR500. The 4-cylinder 2-stroke 2-shaft V-engine had been developed using the latest technology and provided increased power and more efficient control thanks to its optimized intake/exhaust airflow and compressions. Like previous Yamaha YZR500's, this machine also employed characteristic large cowling that wraps the rider, as well as two exhaust pipes that point out of the sharp rear cowling. Even though 4-stroke bikes were dominant, Abe's Yamaha YZR500 was a serious threat to the competition thanks to its lightweight and agility. With Spanish rider P.Riba as his teammate, the d'Antin Team went into the 2002 season with high hopes.