Yamaha has revealed the winners of the YZ125, YZ85 and YZ65 bLU cRU FIM Europe Cups, following the successful conclusion of Yamaha’s 2019 Masterclass at Circuito de Alcarrás and the Bellpuig MX track in Spain.
As a result of their positive attitudes and successful displays of speed, skill and determination, 16-year-old Latvian youngster, Mairis Pumpurs, has been selected as the winner of the YZ125 bLU cRU FIM Europe Cup, where he will join talented Dutch riders Kay Karssemakkers and Ivano van Erp on the MJC Yamaha EMX125 Official team.
13-year-old YZ85 rider Zoltan Ordog from Romania and 10-year-old YZ65 rider Freddie Bartlett from Sweden were identified by the judging panel as the two standout racers amongst an ultra-competitive field. Both will receive support from Yamaha Motor Europe in 2020, as the winners of the inaugural YZ85 and YZ65 bLU cRU FIM Europe Cups.
Yamaha’s bLU cRU program is a unique system designed to identify, develop and nurture young talent from around the world. The project, which started for 125cc motocross riders in 2015 and expanded into road racing in 2017, before further developing in motocross to include 85cc and 65cc categories in 2019, provides a clear path for young riders that can take them from their first steps on the world stage to the very pinnacle of two-wheeled motorsport, all within Yamaha’s existing racing structure. To date, more than 1000 young riders have benefitted directly from involvement in Yamaha’s bLU cRU project.
The first hurdle the aspiring world champions have to overcome is the selection process that takes place during the annual bLU cRU Masterclass, which this year was held near Lleida, Spain, under the watchful eyes of Yamaha Motor Europe’s bLU cRU Racing Manager, Alberto Barozzi and Yamaha MX Coordinator, Thorsten Lentink. Assisting at the Bellpuig MX track were Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s duo of Jeremy Seewer and Gautier Paulin, former 250cc Motocross World Champion, Jacky Vimond and MJC Yamaha EMX125 Official Team Principal, Loïc Le Foll.
This year’s bLU cRU Masterclass provided 23 road racers and 13 motocross racers with an exclusive opportunity to compete, learn and ride together over three days of intense training. At the end of the three days, all of the riders saw improvements in their lap-times, while their confidence on the bike and in the paddock was at an all-time high. Yamaha Motor Europe looks forward to assisting all nine winners in 2020 as they continue to climb the Yamaha Racing pyramid with enhanced support.
Registration for the 2020 YZ bLU cRU FIM Europe Cups are expected to open at the end of this week, so those young riders who aspire to be the world champions of the future should keep checking yamaha-racing.com.