The entry list for the 2021 bLU cRU Masterclass, which will take place just outside of Barcelona, has been confirmed, with 21 road racing youngsters and 13 motocross riders hoping to showcase their talents at the Circuito d’Alcarrás (Road Racing) and Circuito MX El Terrè Almenar (Motocross) on 3-5 November.
For motocross, the podium finishers of the YZ125, YZ85, and YZ65 categories at the YZ bLU cRU FIM Europe Cup SuperFinale, which took place at the FIM Motocross of Nations in Mantova, were invited to the event, alongside two wildcards from each class. On the road racing side, riders aged 14-20 who performed strongly in the various bLU cRU Challenge and Cup series will be attending.
These youngsters will all benefit from exclusive coaching by the bLU cRU Ambassadors, including FIM Superbike World Championship rider Andrea Locatelli, Yamaha Rider Coach and Endurance World Championship racer Niccolò Canepa, and bLU cRU and FIM Supersport World Championship rider Unai Orradre. 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup title-winner Iker Garcia Abella will also be there to share his experiences of the championship and bLU cRU program.
The YZ125 Masterclass category for the oldest riders consists of the top three from the YZ SuperFinale, winner Adrien Petit from France, runner-up Victor Puig from Spain, and Sweden’s Hugo Forsgren, while Italian rider Maurizio Scollo, who finished fifth, will also attend as a wildcard.
Riders from the YZ85 include Denmark’s Frederik Rahn Stampe, who finished second at the YZ SuperFinale, with third-place finisher Noe Zumstein from Switzerland also attending. Wildcard entries for this class include Belgium’s Emile De Baere and Italy’s Cesar Paine Diaz, who both finished inside the top five in Mantova, as well as Swedish youngster Elias Nyström.
Representing the youngest riders, the YZ65 participants consists of YZ SuperFinale runner-up Dani Tsankov of Bulgaria, Denmark’s Bertram Thorius, Finland’s Jimi Marttila, and French rider Tylan Lagain.
The winners from each of these classes will earn a spot in the EMX125, EMX85 and EMX65 championships for 2022, supported by Yamaha Motor Europe.
For the R3 entries at the Masterclass, nine countries are represented and the overall winner will receive a supported season in the 2022 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup, which supports selected European rounds of the WorldSBK championship.
From Spain, Alvaro Diaz, who raced in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship with bLU cRU support in 2019, will join this year’s Masterclass, following his bLU cRU Challenge victory this year. Fellow front-runners Yerai Ruiz and Carlos Giménez will also attend, alongside 15-year-old Dyron Morillas.
Five Italians will head to Alcarrás, including the top three national bLU cRU Cup riders, Emilio Ercolani, Diego Palladino and Federico Iacoi. CIV Supersport 300 champion Matteo Vannucci, who impressed on his wildcard Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup outing at Misano this year, will also ride, alongside wildcard Andrea Pizzoli.
German riders Michel-Caspar Wieth and Albert Prasse, who at 14 is the youngest entrant, are joined by Swiss youngster Fabio Sarasino, while Sarah Göpfert enters as a wildcard.
The Netherlands has three riders involved this year: Bryan Cohen and Senna van den Hoven, who contested the Benelux bLU cRU Challenge this year, as well as IDM Supersport 300 racer Luuk de Ruiter. Fellow IDM racers, Denmark’s Oliver Svendsen and Sweden’s Mia Rusthen, as well as Martin Eriksen, represent the Scandinavian Challenge runners.
French bLU cRU Challenge rider Loris Chaidron and Brazilian bLU cRU Cup racer Eduardo Burr, who contested the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup this year, both complete the 21-strong rider line-up.
Alongside the bLU cRU Ambassadors, former MotoGP racer Alex de Angelis, 2013 Moto3 World Champion and 2018 WorldSSP title winner Sandro Cortese, and ex-Grand Prix rider Joey Litjens will be at the Masterclass to support their local distributers.