The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp riders did their various 2021 Master Camp coaches from the last five days proud, graduating from the ninth edition of the programme with lofty report cards from all of them.
Unai Orradre (aged 17, from Spain), Bahattin Sofuoglu (aged 18, from Turkey), Humberto “Turquinho” Maier (aged 15, from Brazil), Fenton Harrison Seabright (aged 19, from the UK), and Iker Garcia Abella (aged 17, from Spain) started the fifth and last day of the programme with mixed feelings. But their excitement soon took over when they headed back to the VR46 Motor Ranch where they could show Flat Track instructor Marco Belli just how much they had improved.
VR46 Rider Academy’s Stefano Manzi was present as co-coach. Belli started the training by reviewing video footage of the first two Flat Track sessions of the 9th Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. With clear instructions of what to pay attention to, the riders went all out during the practice sessions before it was time for some racing. Ultimately Garcia won, with Sofuoglu and Orradre in second and third place respectively.
At lunch in Tavullia, the riders finished their plates in no time so they could go shopping at the VR46 Store. This was the cue for the Official Fan Club Valentino Rossi Tavullia Vice President Flavio Fratesi to make a special visit. He asked the riders to head over to the fan club’s headquarters just around the corner. There they got the chance to sign up as members, received a VR46 Fan Club membership card, and were showered with gifts, including a t-shirt and a cardboard version of the iconic Tavullia road sign.
With bags full of merchandise and gifts, the riders made their way to the final event on the Master Camp programme: the VR46 headquarters tour.
During the tour, the students were surprised at the size of the VR46 building, that houses both the company’s commercial outlet, including a huge storage room, as well as the race department, that oversees all VR46 Academy riders. The tour ended in Valentino Rossi‘s office for the traditional graduation ceremony, the place where VR46 and Yamaha first discussed the Master Camp programme in 2013.
The festivities were led by VR46 Riders Academy Director Alessio ’Uccio‘ Salucci. The riders watched a summary video of the last five special days before being handed their official Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Certificate of Attendance. Of course, the Master Camp wouldn‘t part from the riders without presenting them with some extra gifts from VR46.
“First of all, I want to congratulate this group of young racing talents for completing the Master Camp programme in a great way”, said Salucci. “Entering the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp is always very exciting for young riders, but I think this group soon found out that there is no need to be nervous or shy. We are all here to help them learn, so the more they ask and provide feedback the better.
“The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp training programme has come a long way since we started in 2016, and this ninth edition was again an unforgettable experience – maybe even more so because we are still very much dealing with the global pandemic. The 9th Master Camp was a nice glimmer of hope that better times are coming, when we can start helping more and more Yamaha talents again, also from other continents like Asia.
“We hope first of all that the riders had fun this week. Fun is a key element of learning in this programme. The five riders have completed a lot of activities, and that must have been tiring during this hot week, but we are certain that it will help their future racing career. We have seen previous Master Camp riders learn a lot from the programme and get great results. The level of this group was seriously high – all the coaches said so, and they are a fun group. All the staff and VR46 riders will be cheering on the ninth-edition students as they return to their respective championships. We hope they will make their racing dreams come true.”
Seabright had suffered an unlucky crash at the VR46 Motor Ranch as a result of a race incident. He was taken to the local hospital by ambulance for a clavicle fracture. He will be seeking treatment in the UK after the end of the Master Camp but was able to rejoin the group at the VR46 headquarters for a private tour and received his official Master Camp diploma. The five new Master Camp graduates bring up the total to 42, hailing from 15 countries in all: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States, with now also Turkey added.
The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team want to sincerely thank Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Valentino Rossi, VR46, the VR46 Academy riders, the instructors, the supporting staff, and the programme‘s partners MSI Gaming, Oakley, Alpinestars, Pirelli, Yamaha Italy‘s Marine Division, Joe Amarena Sunset Beach, and Capitaneria di Porto di Pesaro for their contribution to this project. Moreover, the team wishes the latest five Master Camp graduates all the best in their racing endeavours.