After a year of hiatus due to current situations, Yamaha has announced Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will be opening its doors for the 9th edition. Selected participant riders will be training at Valentino Rossi‘s VR46 Motor Ranch from 18 – 22 August 2021.
So who are the lucky riders got selected for the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp 9th edition? According to Yamaha, the five selected talents are currently riders for Yamaha Motor Europe‘s 2021 WorldSSP300 teams or competing in Yamaha Motor Europe‘s 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup. They are Yamaha MS Racing teammates Unai Orradre (aged 17, from Spain) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (aged 17, from Turkey), participating in the WorldSSP300 championship, as well as Humberto “Torquinho” Maier (aged 15, from Brazil), Fenton Harrison Seabright (aged 19, from the UK), and Iker Garcia Abella (aged 17, from Spain) who are Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup riders.
For those who still unaware what does Master Camp, its a specially programme designed to nurture young Yamaha stars by enchancing their riding skills and professionalism, thus enabling them to make a further step in their racing career. Here are the list of activities for the Master Camp:
- A chance to learn from three-time English Flat Track Champion and two-time American and European Flat Track Champion Marco Belli at the VR46 Motor Ranch (on YZ250Fs), and they will also receive soft cross training (on YZ125s)
- Riding at the Circuit di Pomposa (on YZF-R3s, made possible by Yamalube, Akrapovič, and Pirelli)
- Riding at the mini Supermoto Jeepers Park (on MiniGP YZ85 bikes)
- Work out at the Fisio Gym with fitness trainer Carlo Casabianca
- Practise throttle control with Yamaha EX Deluxe and Yamaha GP1800 WaveRunners at the beach (made possible by Yamaha Marine Europe and Yamaha Marine Italy)
- Joined by their VR46 Academy seniors every session for some personal coaching
- Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Lorenzo Daretti (aka Trastevere73) will be a guest lecturer this series for MotoGP eSports classes (made possible by MSI Gaming Italy), to teach the riders tricks many professional racers use to refamiliarize themselves with the MotoGP circuits on the calendar.
So, what do you think of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp 9th edition? With lots of training and fun activities, the five selected riders will definitely enjoy improving their racing skills and perhaps one day reaching MotoGP class. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section. You can learn the rider profile at below.
9th Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Participants
Unai Orradre
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 17 (Born in 2004)
2019 ESBK Superbike Junior champion Unai Orradre made his FIM Supersport 300 World Championship Wildcard debut in 2019, and in 2020 the Spanish youngster stepped up to contest his first full season with the Yamaha MS Racing WorldSSP300 Supported Team.
That year, the then 16-year-old became the youngest ever winner in the WorldSSP300 championship, after storming to a dominant victory in the opening race of the 2020 season at Jerez.
Orradre picked up two further podium finishes, taking second at Portimao and third at Aragon on his way to a seventh place in the riders‘ standings.
His performances and potential earned him another year as part of the bLU cRU programme in the WorldSSP300 class alongside Bahattin Sofuoglu, and in 2021 he remained with the Yamaha MS Racing team with goals of challenging for the title.
Bahattin Sofuoglu
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 17 (Born in 2003)
Bahattin Sofuoglu brought the name made famous by his cousin, five-time WorldSSP Champion Kenan Sofuoglu, back into world championship motorcycle racing in 2018, making a wildcard appearance in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship and going on to participate in eight races the following year.
In 2020, he joined Yamaha’s bLU cRU programme, racing for the Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300 Supported Team. Sofuoglu won on his first weekend of the season, following fellow bLU cRU rider Unai Orradre’s Race-1 success with a victory on Sunday.
The Turkish rider won from pole position at Aragon, stepping on the podium again that weekend with a third place in Race 2. Sofuoglu scored another top-three finish at Magny-Cours and ended the season third in the championship as the top Yamaha racer.
In 2021, he is contesting another WorldSSP300 year as a bLU cRU rider, and will look to convert his rapid pace into race victories to mount a serious championship challenge.
Humberto Maier
Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 15 (Born in 2005)
Humberto Cesar Maier Neto is a Brazilian rider currently contesting the inaugural Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup. At 15 years old, he‘s already a winner in the series and brings a lot of success from his racing in South American countries.
Having started racing at just seven years old, following in his father‘s footsteps, the youngster went on to win the Yamalube R3 Cup Brazil Stock category in 2019, as well as the GP3 de Las Americas, before being crowned the overall champion in the 2020 Yamalube R3 bLU cRU Cup Brazil.
His win at Assen in 2021 saw him climb to seventh in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup standings, with his goal for next year being in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship.
Fenton Harrison Seabright
Nationality: British
Age: 19 (Born in 2002)
Fenton Harrison Seabright has already announced himself as a championship contender in the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup, with a victory at Donington Park to his name. The British rider from Essex has been on the podium in every championship he‘s contested, including in the FIM CEV Championship.
Starting out racing go-karts before switching to motorbikes aged 12 after wanting more of an adrenaline rush, the 19-year-old idolised Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner growing up and has dreams of one day becoming world champion.
As of Assen, Seabright currently sits second in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup championship standings, with three podiums, a win, and a pole position to his name.
Iker Garcia Abella
Nationality: Italian
Age: 17 (Born in 2004)
Born in Les Cases d’Alcanar, Spain, Iker Garcia Abella currently races the #2 Yamaha R3 in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup, and is already stretching out a lead in the riders‘ standings.
After his father bought him his first motorbike when he was six, the now 17-year-old won the Spanish Moto4 Championship in 2018, and has also scored victories in the FIM CEV Repsol and European Talent Cup classes. Additionally, he contested two WorldSSP300 rounds at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
In 2021, the Spaniard has already won two Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup races and stepped onto the podium five times in six races, which has given him a 39-point lead in the championship heading into Round 4, held this weekend. Garcia Abella is hoping for title glory this year to earn him a spot on the WorldSSP300 grid next season.