YART was established in 2001 by Austrian motorcycle enthusiast and team principal Manfred Kainz, who built the outfit from a private garage operation into a full factory-supported contender. The team operates from Heimschuh in the Austrian province of Styria and has maintained a long-running partnership with Yamaha Motor Europe. YART is recognised as one of three official GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing) Pro Shops in Europe, placing it alongside Crescent Racing in the United Kingdom and Ten Kate Racing in the Netherlands as a primary outlet for Yamaha's motorsport support infrastructure.
YART's first appearance at the top of the EWC standings came in 2006, when the team finished as runner-up in the world championship, demonstrating that the Austrian outfit could compete with the biggest factory-aligned squads. A second runner-up result followed in 2008, the same season the team scored a significant international victory at the 8 Hours of Doha.
The breakthrough world title arrived in 2009, when YART claimed the FIM Endurance World Championship alongside victory at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans and successes at the 8 Hours of Albacete, Oschersleben, and Doha. That season established the team as a genuine force capable of winning multiple rounds across a single campaign.
After a period without a championship, YART returned to contention in the 2019/20 season, finishing as vice world champions and adding victories at the 8 Hours of Sepang and the 12 Hours of Estoril. The team then claimed its second world title in 2023, winning the championship and taking victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. A third runner-up placing arrived in 2024 alongside a second-place finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours and another win at the 8 Hours of Spa, before YART secured its third FIM Endurance World Championship title in 2025, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the process.
Across more than two decades of EWC competition, YART has accumulated an impressive statistical record. The team has recorded at least 13 victories in FIM Endurance World Championship rounds, secured 22 pole positions, and posted 15 fastest race laps. The squad has also recorded 45 podium finishes in EWC competition, establishing one of the deepest track records among privateer or semi-works Yamaha squads in the series.
The depth of YART's relationship with Yamaha Motor Europe is formalised through its GYTR Pro Shop status, which grants access to Yamaha's highest level of technical parts, racing support, and engineering collaboration outside of a pure factory works entry. This arrangement has allowed YART to compete as an effective works proxy for Yamaha in the EWC while retaining its identity as an Austrian-based independent operation. In 2020, Yamaha Motor Europe and YART jointly unveiled a limited edition Petronas Yamaha SRT replica YZF-R1; 46 machines were produced to mark 46 years of Petronas oil business activity, priced at 46,000 euros each and offered exclusively to European customers.
YART's sustained presence near the top of the EWC standings has made it one of the defining teams of modern motorcycle endurance racing. The team's three world championships, spread across different eras of the sport, reflect an organisational consistency unusual in privateer motorsport. Kainz's operation demonstrated that a small national team could compete and beat larger, better-resourced outfits by combining meticulous preparation, factory-level technical access through the GYTR network, and experienced rider line-ups over endurance distances.