If not for their Caucasian features and the barrage of security personnel surrounding them, Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales would not have been recognized by commuters of the LRT-1 line during the morning rush.
The two racers surprised LRT commuters when they arrived at the Roosevelt Station on February morning in 2019, and boarded a northbound train to the renamed Yamaha-Monumento Station in Caloocan City. The Yamaha-Monumento Station was a joint undertaking by the Japanese motorcycle maker and LRT authorities, but the details of the partnership have not been divulged by both parties.
Looking very relaxed, Rossi and Viñales arrived at the station wearing team shirts and caps. Of course, there were a throng of Rossi and Viñales fans at the platform wanting to take a selfie with their racing idols, but only a few were lucky enough to have a photo with the two.
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After a few brief speeches at the platform, Rossi and Viñales boarded an LRT train freshly wrapped in big Yamaha promotional stickers. Yamaha slogans saying ‘We are MIO...unstoppable’ were all over the train station. The Mio is one of Yamaha’s best-selling scooters in the country. The group’s destination was 10th Avenue in Caloocan City for Yamaha’s grand Time2Rev celebration.
During the 10-minute ride, Rossi suddenly asked: “How fast can this train go?”
He was told the train was currently moving at 40kph, but it could go up to 60kph on average. Come to think of it, the nine-time MotoGP world champion is used to pushing his race bike to more than 300kph, so mortal speeds must seem amusing to him.
Later during the Yamaha dealers conference, Rossi admitted it was his first time to ride a train. “It was a great experience!” he said. Viñales was equally ecstatic after the LRT ride.
But other than experiencing the short train ride, Rossi and Viñales appreciated Yamaha’s adoption of an LRT station, saying that it’s a positive move to push for brand awareness among the daily commuters of the mass transit system.
