Mike Martinez, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, SVP and President of Motorsports since 2022, announced his retirement after 32 years at YMUS. Martinez will stay on for the first quarter of 2026 to work closely with Burnett and ensure a smooth transition of the Motorsports business and operations. He will officially retire on April 3, 2026.
Yamaha Motor Corp., USA (YMUS), is promoting Dean Burnett to Senior Vice President and President of Motorsports. Burnett brings more than three decades of Yamaha experience to his new position, most recently as Vice President of Yamaha’s Marine Innovation Center, and President of Siren Marine and Skeeter and G3 Boat companies.
Mike Martinez, the current SVP and President of Motorsports since 2022, announced his retirement after 32 years at YMUS. Martinez will stay on for the first quarter of 2026 to work closely with Burnett and ensure a smooth transition of the Motorsports business and operations. He will officially retire on April 3, 2026.
“Yamaha owes Mike Martinez a huge debt of gratitude for his decades of service, spearheading groundbreaking products, dealer programs, and initiatives that directly led to Yamaha’s success in the U.S. powersports industry. I’m confident that Mike’s legacy is in great hands with Dean Burnett, who’s intimate knowledge of Yamaha, from sales and marketing to operations and finance, combined with his extensive leadership experience, makes him the perfect person to lead Motorsports into the future,” said Michael Chrzanowski, President and CEO of Yamaha Motor Corp., USA. “Over the next few months, Dean and Mike will work closely together to align strategy and operations for the future success of Yamaha Motorsports and our dealer partners.”
Burnett was born into his family’s marine dealership in Louisville, Kentucky, and worked his way through various Yamaha business groups dating back to 1987, including sales, marketing, service, operations, manufacturing, and finance. He brings vast leadership experience in addition to his roles in Yamaha’s Marine business, having served as President and Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Canada, Ltd. (YMCA), and President and Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Finance Canada, Ltd. (YMFCA). Prior to his time in Canada, Burnett was President of the Yamaha WaterCraft Business Group.
“I enjoy being part of the Yamaha family, and I’ve seen firsthand how Martinez worked tirelessly to build a culture based on community, innovation, and real-world experiences. Importantly, the Yamaha Motorsports team values, supports, and celebrates our dealer partners and business relationships. I’m proud and excited to accept this new opportunity,” Burnett said. “At its core, Yamaha creates lifelong memories, and we’ll continue to deliver on that promise to our dealer partners and customers over the decades to come.”
Martinez joined Yamaha in 1994 as a motorcycle and ATV product planner. He went on to lead the YMUS RV group, launching breakthrough models like Yamaha’s first automatic 4×4, the Kodiak 450, the legendary Raptor and Grizzly ATVs, and the Rhino Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicle, which created today’s popular SxS recreation segment. Martinez also led Yamaha’s organizational alignment of Motorcycle, RV and Parts & Accessory operations, as well as its corporate relocation to Georgia in 2018.
Throughout his career, Martinez championed Yamaha’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing, and inspired the development of the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, the powersports industry’s leader in supporting access to public land for motorized recreation which has contributed more than $8 million in grants over the past 18 years. Under his leadership, Yamaha reignited its racing dominance in the U.S., partnering with Star Racing to manage the 450 Supercross (SX) and Motocross (MX) teams, as well as combining the Racing and Marketing divisions during the Motorsports organization alignment in 2018. On-track results speak for themselves, with 26 premier class championships in SX, MX, SuperMotocross and Road Race competition, as well as 34 national ATV and SxS racing titles over the past seven years.
“I’ve known Dean for a long time, we’ve had a great working relationship, and I have full confidence that he will be a strong leader and advocate for Yamaha and a great partner to Yamaha dealers. He brings the experience and talent to lead Yamaha to new and exciting growth into the future,” Martinez said. “Thanks to everyone at Yamaha over the years for making this a great ride. Personally, I’m looking forward to many more of my own adventures and to watching Yamaha’s continued success for years to come.”
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