2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp
The 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp welcomed 10 young riders – including rising Australian star Valentino Knezovic – to Valencia with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend five days training with and learning from some of Yamaha’s biggest stars, including the likes of Fabio Quartararo, Jack Miller, Alex Rins, Jonathan Rea, Remy Gardner, and Andrea Locatelli.
The 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp is a part of the BLU CRU program that provides a structured pathway from national-level competition through regional Yamaha R3 cups and championships into the FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup, with the ultimate aim to secure a ride in WorldSBK or even MotoGP with Yamaha.
Following the introduction of new additions for 2025, such as the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team and the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team, Yamaha now offers the most direct and supported progression paths from grassroots racing to the pinnacle of the sport.
Arriving on Tuesday, the ten riders as well as Knezovic, Alessandro Di Persio (Italy), Christopher Clark (USA, Mario Salles (Brazil), Arai Agaska (Indonesia), Hinata Okada (Japan), Thanakit Pratumtong (Thailand), Leonardo Marques (Brazil), Rintaro Takemoto (Japan), and Natalia Rivera (Spain) took part in medical checks ahead of the on-track action. They also had the chance to meet Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team rider Miquel Oliveira and Remy Gardner from the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team during a special presentation.
Remy Gardner – GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team
“The Yamaha BLU CRU program is great! It is a great initiative that provides a direct and structured path from grassroots racing to the highest levels of the sport. It really does provide stepping stones and support every step of the way. It is something that didn’t exist when I was growing up, and I wish it had been, as I would have loved it. The Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp provides these ten riders with a fun and fantastic opportunity to go out, enjoy themselves, improve their riding, hone their abilities, and take those skills back to the racetrack. I am also really looking forward to heading out with them tomorrow to ride some flat track… hopefully they will go easy on me!”
Personally welcoming and explaining the concept of the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp to the young riders at the presentation were Paolo Pavesio, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, Niccolò Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, Tetsu Ono, General Manager, Motorsport Strategy Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and Gino Borsoi, Team Manager of the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team.
Each BLU CRU rider was then presented with a welcome pack that included a pair of Alpinestars motocross boots, Oakley sunglasses, Oakley motocross goggles, plus a special gift of an Alpinestars motocross jersey signed by all of the Yamaha MotoGP & WorldSBK riders that will act as mentors during the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp.
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Introduction Images – Day Zero
Day One
The first day of action at the 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp saw six-time FIM Superbike World Champion Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who recently announced his retirement from full-time racing, and 2021 Moto2 World Champion and current GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider Remy Gardner join the young riders at the track.
Starting the day with a four-hour technical riding session, overseen by coach Kike Bañuls, the BLU CRU riders were put through their paces with several different lessons aimed at helping them refine their technique, including specific drills designed to improve their bike control, overtaking methods, and even how to recover their bike and restart a race after a crash.
In the afternoon, it was the turn of flat track expert Marco Belli, along with mentors Rea and Gardner, as the BLU CRU riders hit the flat track circuit at the Aspar Motorsport complex.
With two world champions to show them the way and on hand to offer advice, the young riders demonstrated rapid improvement, and there were plenty of smiles to be found at the end of the day.
Jonathan Rea – Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team
“It was a really cool day! Especially because a lot of the riders had never done flat track before, and even after tough technical training sessions this morning, they impressed me. It was fun to ride with them and teach them about flat track, as while it uses a different skillset, those skills are transferable to road racing, as flat track is all about losing traction, and in road racing, that happens a lot, and it’s how you react to it with your body that matters. Hence, many riders use off-road riding and flat track to hone their skills, so it was really nice to hit the track with the BLU CRU riders. It was a demanding day for them, but to see so many smiling faces at the end made it all worthwhile. The Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp has really impressed me. You can see the effort that has gone into the event, and it demonstrates Yamaha’s commitment to developing the next generation of world champions.”
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Images – Day One
Day Two
Day two of five at the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp kicked off with a second flat track session at the Aspar Motorsport complex under the expert gaze of coach Marco Belli, along with six-time FIM Superbike World Champion, Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team’s Jonathan Rea.
They were also joined by the reigning FIM Supersport 300 World Champion, Indonesia’s first-ever road racing world champion, and current BLU CRU Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team rider Aldi Satya Mahendra.
After benefitting from, Rea, Mahendra, and Belli’s tuition and advice throughout the morning, towards the end of the session, all ten the riders took part in a race to put the lessons they had learnt on the dirt over the past two days to the test.
After the heat and dust of the flat track circuit, the attendees were treated to something completely different, as they took to the water at Valencia Marina alongside Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Alex Rins and expert coach, multi-time IJSBA World Champion Chris MacClugage.
It was a chance for the young riders to try their hand at something different away from the track, and their enjoyment was evident for all to see.
Alex Rins – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“It is really inspiring to see what Yamaha is doing with the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp, and it was great to be a part of it! I watched the young riders as they rode flat track this morning, and they not only impressed me with their pace but also with their attitude. They are all working hard, so it was nice to give them a break this afternoon and take them out on the WaveRunners to break up the training and also build camaraderie. I wish there had been a program like this when I was younger, as it really does give riders a clear pathway from grassroots racing all the way up to MotoGP. I hope they can wait for me to retire before they steal my seat!”
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Images – Day Two
Day Three
The third day of the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp saw the young riders take to the main 2.2km track at the Aspar Motorsport complex for the first time on R7s alongside special guest Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP’s Jack Miller.
Jack Miller – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“I had a lot of fun today. We have been out on track all day, and I must say I have been really impressed by the pace, focus, and work ethic of the young BLU CRU riders. It was hot out there, and we did lots of sessions, but they seemed to soak up all the information and managed to improve rapidly. I wish there had been something like the BLU CRU program around when I was younger, as it is such a great way for young riders to go from grassroots racing to the world stage. Plus, the fact that we have riders here from Australia, Asia, South America, as well as Europe, shows how far the reach of the project is. Giving these riders the chance to race in Europe, with the opportunity to rise all the way to MotoGP, with support along every step of the way, is simply incredible. You never know, I could have been sharing the track today with a future MotoGP World Champion. I really enjoyed riding with them all and being able to offer bits of advice after following them around on track, but I must admit, they were pretty quick, so I was glad I was riding my R1!”
The Australian was joined by reigning FIM Supersport 300 World Champion, the first-ever road-racing world champion from Indonesia and current BLU CRU Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team rider, Aldi Satya Mahendra.
The 19-year-old provides the perfect inspiration for the youngsters, having become the first rider from the R3 World Cup to win a world championship and highlighting exactly how the BLU CRU program offers a clear and supported pathway into the top levels of racing.
After each session on track, Miller and Mahendra, along with BLU CRU coach and multiple WorldSSP race winner, Jules Cluzel, gave each rider guidance and advice, and there were also technical debriefs to help identify areas for improvement, with all of the young riders showing excellent progress over the course of the day.
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Images – Day Three
Day Four
The fourth day of the 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp saw the riders undertake more technical training in the morning with expert coach Kike Bañuls.
Helping to coach the youngsters were a myriad of Yamaha riders, including the 2021 MotoGP World Champion, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team), Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team’s Andrea Locatelli, the 2022 Moto3 World Champion Izan Guevara, and his BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team teammate, Tony Arbolino.
Andrea Locatelli – Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team
“It was a real pleasure to be here today and get to ride and work with these talented BLU CRU riders. It is awesome to see these youngsters be given a chance like this, and you can really see the benefit the BLU CRU program offers to them. I really enjoyed being able to pass on some of my experience to them, and it was also great fun to take part in some go-kart races. The BLU CRU program really does support riders all the way from grassroots, right to the world stage, and there is nothing else like it out there, so to get to be a part of it was a pleasure, and I am looking forward to riding on track with them all tomorrow!”
With such an array of world-class talent to guide and coach the young riders, they made excellent progress during a demanding session that focused on riding technique, bike control, and other key areas.
In the afternoon, it was time for fun, with all of the riders and coaches taking part in a series of go-kart races at the Aspar Motorsport complex to end the penultimate day in style.
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Images – Day Four
Day Five
The final day at the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp saw the rising stars take to the 2.2km track at the Aspar Motorsport complex under the guidance of 2009 FIM 125cc World Champion and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team Rider Performance Analyst Julian Simon.
Adding to the excitement for the young riders was the fact that they were joined on track by Yamaha stars Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team), Locatelli (Pata Maxus WorldSBK Official Team), and Arbolino (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team), who not only rode with them but also passed on their knowledge and expertise.
Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“I have really enjoyed the two days I have spent at the Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp. It is such an amazing event, and the BLU CRU program is something I am very proud to be a part of. To give young riders like this the chance to go from racing at the national level, all the way to WorldSBK or MotoGP, with a clear pathway and support at every step of the journey, is incredible. I wish there were something like this around when I was younger. The BLU CRU riders really impressed me, not only with their ability, but also their willingness to learn, and you could see the progress they made even just today. I believe one day, I will be racing against one of these riders in MotoGP!”
The day began with a couple of practice sessions, followed by a special Superpole shootout where the BLU CRU riders took to the track one at a time to set a flying lap.
Despite the extra pressure, all the riders managed to improve their times from their track sessions earlier in the week, and it was the current leader of the FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup, Di Persio, who claimed the honour of setting the fastest lap to take the top step of the podium.
A closing ceremony followed, during which each of the young riders was presented with an Alpinestars race top signed by all the guest riders who attended the 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp.
It was a fitting ending to a week that BLU CRU riders will never forget, which saw them get to meet and train with not only Quartararo, Locatelli, and Arbolino, but also Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team), Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira, Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team ), Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team), Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Aldi Satya Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros WorldSSP Supported Team).
During the five days, participants also had the opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the business while trying their hand at various activities, ranging from technical training to riding WaveRunners at the Valencia Marina.
These included multi-time WorldSSP race winner Julian Simon, BLU CRU rider coach Jules Cluzel, technical expert Kike Bañuls, flat track guru Marco Belli, and multi-time IJSBA World Champion Chris MacClugage.
After an incredible five days, all the BLU CRU riders left Valencia not only with great memories but also with a smile firmly planted on their faces, having improved not only as riders but also as professionals.
Niccolò Canepa – Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Sporting Manager
“What an incredible five days. The 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp was all about giving ten young riders a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only to learn from the best coaches in the business, but from the biggest Yamaha stars from the world of MotoGP, Moto2, and WorldSBK. All of the BLU CRU riders shone, and every single one of them showed massive improvement throughout the week. The Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp was not just about helping them to go faster; it was also about helping them prepare to be professional racers. It was a demanding, but fun week, and I think all of them have left Valencia as much stronger riders than when they arrived. I want to thank all the incredible coaches who put in so much effort during these five days, as well as all the Yamaha riders who came to share their experience and knowledge. I would also like to thank our partners, Total Energies, Alpinestars, Pirelli, and Oakley, as well as all the staff at JiR, for their help in organising this incredible event. We are already planning and looking forward to next year’s Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp!”
Yamaha BLU CRU Master Camp 2025 Images – Day Five
