Moto2 will have a new team on its starting grid which will therefore not suffer from the departure of the Petronas colors. In its place, in fact, we will find motorcycles badged Yamaha and with the VR46 to maneuver. But this time there will be no young Italians among the pilots. On the other hand, a Thai hopeful and a Spanish talent revealed in Supersport will be there.
Yamaha Motor Co.Ltd and VR46 announced a new collaboration in Valencia. The two companies have decided to offer young talents Yamaha the opportunity to develop as drivers at world championship level and thus joined forces to bring the program Yamaha VR46 Master Camp on the international scene, via the Moto2.
The new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team is 100% owned by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and will also fund #theTeam. VR46 will be responsible for management of the new Moto2 World Championship team, which can also count on the support of Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Yamaha Motor Europe NV and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl. The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team will be led by the sports director Gelete Nieto, with Manu González et Kevin Kubo forming the pair of pilots.
Manu González was just 13 years old when he was selected for the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2016. In 2017, he made his first appearance at WorldSSP300 as a Wild Card. Shortly after, at just 15 years old, he became European Talent Cup champion and with these credentials, he joined WorldSSP300 as a full-time driver in 2018. He finished his first season in sixth place . A year later, he became WorldSSP300 Champion as the youngest World Champion in its history at 17 years 56 days. He was promoted to WorldSSP in 2020 and placed seventh in the final rankings. This year he impressed again in the same category. He is third in the standings after several podiums and victories, with only one round to go.
The Thai pilot Kubo participated in the fifth edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp held in Tavullia in 2018. He and the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp team made their debut together in the FIM CEV Moto2 in 2019. These last three years have allowed the young man to gain value and experience. In 2021, Kubo also received his first Wild Card in the Moto2 world championship. He competed in the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia where he finished the race in 26th position.
The new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team will make its debut on the stage of the Moto2 World Championship during the first winter test in Valencia, which will be held from February 3 to 4, 2022. The first objective of the two drivers will be to gradually adapt to their new team.
The Yamaha VR46 Camp: “the idea came from a conversation Valentino Rossi and Lin Jarvis had”
Keitarou Horikoshi, CEO, YMC said: “ The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp project has been very successful since its launch in 2016. We started with the 5-day bi-annual training program in Tavullia which aims to support and prepare young Yamaha Racing talents. It quickly became a highly regarded and sought after program, having been part of Yamaha's bLU cRU program. In 2017, the Master Camp created its own FIM CEV Moto3 team, which moved to the FIM CEV Moto2 class in 2019. Kubo is a graduate of the 5th edition of the Master Camp and a Master Camp CEV rider, while González is a Rider WorldSSP which is part of the Yamaha Motor Europe bLU cRU program ».
Alessio Saluccii, director of the VR46 Riders Academy added: “ The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp is a very expensive project for VR46. The idea for the program was born in the Valentino office at VR46 headquarters in Tavullia. It was created from a conversation Valentino and Lin Jarvis had there. They had a common goal of helping Yamaha's young international talents, just like the VR46 Riders Academy does for local Italian riders »
Manuel González, Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider is happy with his promotion: “I am very happy with this new project and the great opportunity I have received. It will be a big step for my career, where I will learn a lot and have fun. I will do my best to grow in this world. A big “thank you” to Yamaha and VR46 for believing in me. And of course, a big thank you to the Rovelli family for all their support »
We will remind you that the motorcycles will be Kalex engines Triumph. Furthermore, the VR46 is linked to Ducati in his project MotoGP.
