The inaugural Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Masterclass saw 11 young riders given the chance to learn from their heroes as they attempted to secure a coveted slot in the 2018 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge, which sees six riders competing onboard Yamaha R3s in the WorldSSP300 Championship. Reigning Endurance World Champions, GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team's David Checa and Niccolò Canepa, along with GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team's Federico Caricasulo, plus the winner of the inaugural Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge and Vice WorldSSP300 Champion, Alfonso Coppola, were on hand to give advice and instruction to the young hopefuls, with the six winners to be announced on the 1st of November.
The Yamaha bLU cRU project is designed to identify, encourage, and develop the best young riding talent, providing a clear career path for them to fulfil their dreams on the world stage. Starting in 2015 for off-road riders, the road-racing side of the project began two years later with six riders selected to compete in the 2017 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as a part of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge. The first year of the project saw it deliver on its potential, with 20-year-old Italian Alfonso Coppola winning the challenge and just missing out on the overall championship by one point as all six bLU cRU riders - plus Indonesian wildcard and race winner Galang Hendra Pratama - impressed throughout the season. The first ever Yamaha R3 Masterclass took place alongside the second edition of the Yamaha YZ125 Masterclass, featuring Yamaha MXGP legend Steven Frossard, that searches for the best young off-road riders to take part in the YZ125 bLU cRUCup, a project that has grown into the most successful feeder program into the European EMX125 Championship.
In Latina, Italy on the 26th-28th of October 2017 it was time to find the next crop of potential future road-racing world champions, with 11 young riders selected to take part in the first ever Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Masterclass at the Il Sagittario Circuit in an effort to secure their place as one of the six Yamaha bLU cRU riders in the 2018 WorldSSP Championship on board a Yamaha YZF-R3. These riders will benefit from the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge rider package, dedicated to supporting young riders in the international racing environment. This includes racing kit parts, a race service support at the track, a full paddock clothing kit and much more. The riders will participate in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge within the championship, with the top rider at the end of the season moving up the racing pyramid with an official Yamaha supported ride in a higher class the following year.
To ensure it was a truly once in a lifetime experience for the young riders, on hand to provide advice and guidance were the bLU cRU Ambassadors, GMT94 Yamaha's triple Endurance World Champion David Checa and his teammate who helped him lift the 2016/2017 title, former MotoGP rider Niccolò Canepa. They were joined by GRT Yamaha's WorldSSP rider Federico Caricasulo, fresh from his 'perfect' weekend in Jerez where he secured pole position, a new lap record, and took the race victory. Completing the mentor lineup was the 2017 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge winner, Alfonso Coppola, who could give first-hand advice to the young riders about what it is like to be a part of the bLU cRU project after an incredible season that saw him finish as runner-up in the WorldSSP300 Championship.
Over the two days, under the watchful eye of Yamaha Motor Europe's bLU cRU Racing Manager Alberto Barozzi, the bLU cRU Ambassadors and the MotoX Racing Team, these young riders were taught by the very best in the business and given a chance to impress in an effort to take the next step in their career. The 11 riders taking part in the Masterclass finished at the top of their respective 2017 National R3 Cup's with Luca Bernardi (16), Alessandro Arcangeli (16) and Giovanni Grianti (18) from Italy joined by Dutch riders Dennis Koopman (20), Kevin Mijwaart (18) and Joep Overbeeke (18), along with Hugo de Cancellis (16), Lucas Clement (19) and Alan Muel (19) from France, as well as Greek rider Notis Papapavlou (17) and Mihail Floroff (16) from Bulgaria.
Split into two groups, all 11 riders took full advantage of the Masterclass, not only spending the two days learning as much as they could from the bLU cRU Ambassadors on the Il Sagitarrio Circuit but also finding out what it takes away from the track to become a world-class rider. The Masterclass was designed to cover all aspects of motorcycle racing, on the first day the riders learnt everything from how to improve their riding styles and technical lessons about how best to set up their R3s, right the way through to how to mentally prepare for a race weekend and the best training exercises to do and nutrition advice to ensure they are at their physical peak.
On the second day, they took part in a series of races, which saw the two groups participate in separate qualifying races, with the top three from each group going through to compete in the final. The winner was 16-year-old Italian Luca Bernardi, with 20-year-old Dutch rider Dennis Koopman in second and his compatriot, 18-year-old Joep Overbeeke, completing the podium but, as stressed by the bLU cRU Ambassadors, winning the races or setting the fastest lap time over the course of the two days would not be the deciding factor in being selected. They would also take into account the attitude of the riders, their ability to adapt and put into practice what they had learnt and the many other elements that contribute to making a world class rider.
After a memorable two days for the 11 young riders, they all left the Masterclass with heads held high after they thoroughly impressed the bLU cRU Ambassadors. Now they must wait until Wednesday the 1st of November when the Racing Committee of Yamaha Motor Europe will announce who will get to become an official Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge rider in 2018. Yamaha would like to thank everyone that took part in the Masterclass for making it such a success, especially the MotoX Racing Team who provided first-class support throughout the two days to everyone involved.
