Yamaha VR46 Master Camp's Alfonso Coppola (19), France's Enzo De La Vega (17), Finland's Kimi Patova (15), Ukraine's Mykyta Kalinin (18), Brazil's Renzo Ferreira (15) and the Netherlands' Robert Schotman (18) returned to the Fisio Gym and the VR46 Motor Ranch on Tuesday to pick up where they had left off the day before, and they took their training to another level.
For the morning session the students were joined by Francesco Bagnaia, who leads the Moto2™ Rookie of the Year standings, and his fellow Moto2™ rider Luca Marini. They started off the session with some stretching, but soon headed outside, eager to make the most of the morning sunshine. The riders' stamina was put to the test by the VR46 Academy as they completed laps at the running track.
After the intense workout, Master Camp riders were rewarded with a visit to the 'Official Fan Club Valentino Rossi' in Tavullia, where its Vice President Flavio Fratesi showered them with gifts.
With renewed energy, the protégées arrived at the VR46 Motor Ranch, eager to polish the basic skills they had built up the day before – and it showed in their performances. Training together with those from the highest level of racing is a terrific opportunity for any promising young rider.
Marco Bell (Flat Track Champion): “On the second day of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp we focused on getting into corners, how to back the bike in, the right line and the correct position of the bike when you enter the turn. These are really key points, so if you are able to do that, you have done already 50% of the work, because it makes it that much easier to exit out of the corner, but it's really difficult to do it right. It's a matter of balance and body position on the lean angle. The more you know your body, the easier it gets, because you get more and more used to reacting quickly whilst on the bike. It was a tough day, but we could see the riders make a lot of improvement, so I'm really happy with that. Some of the riders surpassed my expectations, because they showed us some great skills. I'm looking forward to working with them some more later this week, together with the VR46 Riders Academy. It's going to be a lot of fun!”
Paolo Pavesio (Marketing Division Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.): "Yamaha Motor Europe established its bLU cRU project two years ago with the main aim to help young Yamaha talent progress to various racing classes both in MX and road racing, all the way from the bottom tier to the top. Six of the Yamaha riders that are currently participating in the WorldSSP300 championship, a new class for the WorldSBK championship, have been helped by the bLU cRU programme to step up from their respective national competitions to an international championship level. As a part of the bLU cRU family, Yamaha supports the riders but all Yamaha riders also help each other in a similar way to how the VR46 Riders Academy and its racing experts support the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp riders.
The VR46 Academy riders and the instructors' investment in these riders throughout this week is invaluable. From this point of view, being able to give these six up-and-coming riders the opportunity to follow this intensive five-day programme is a big added value to the bLU cRU support they receive at the WorldSSP300 race weekends. This is something very special that only Yamaha and VR46 Academy together can offer! The Master Camp should serve as a boost to help them develop their racing skills, gain new knowledge and affirm their motivation, and hopefully will allow them to progress their racing careers even further. I am sure all the riders will have a unique time during this week, but I am also impatient to see them back at the WorldSSP300 championship to appreciate the results of what they have learned."