The 2023 edition of the Yamaha bLU cRU CAMP took place from July 26 to 29 at the Pôle Mécanique de la Clef des Champs in Clastres, near Saint-Quentin (02).
Whether in terms of people or equipment, Yamaha does not hesitate to put a lot of resources into this four-day course intended to advance 38 riders aged 10 to 18 who are already participating in a motocross or speed championship on a Yamaha. After the emblematic fabio quartararo in 2021. , who was unable to attend this year, the double world champion Max Renaux and the three-time winner of the Enduropale du Touquet, Milko Potisek, cross-country, as well as Jules cluzel et Alexis Masbou in speed, were there to provide their wise advice as professional drivers to young hopefuls placed in excellent conditions: cross-country and speed circuit, very comfortable teepee camp, MotoGP-style hospitality, debriefing room, workshop and mechanics at small details, impeccable sanitary facilities, efficient Yamaha/H2S organization, M1, R1 and champion motorcycles in decoration, in short, from the essentials to the small details, everything was done to have fun and, above all, to progress!
Eric de Seynes, the man behind this initiative was there in person, on Wednesday morning, to welcome the privileged selected pilots. Needless to say, he has seen hundreds, even thousands, of riders throughout his career at the head of Yamaha France and then Yamaha Europe. As an enthusiast of mechanical competitions, he has helped hundreds, if not thousands, but he has also seen others get lost on expensive paths in a bad long-term strategy.
Also, when he shares with us the reason for the very existence of Yamaha bLU cRU CAMP, all young pilots, their parents and others should take a few minutes to become aware of his wise vision!
The bLU cRU is fundamental
Eric de Seynes : " The bLU cRU is fundamental, it means that Yamaha is a brand which, in all of its activities, develops products and develops programs for its customers. Afterwards, in the world of competition, we obviously have to be sure to develop the best bikes and for that, we need the best riders and the best championships. This is why we are involved in almost all of the world championships, whether in motocross, endurance, Superbike speed, Supersport, and MotoGP. Because the requirement requires manufacturers to develop the best, and if we want to satisfy our customers, particularly in competition, we have to be at a high level to hope to give them motorcycles that work as well as possible. So we, on the industrial aspect, are attached to high-level sport. »
« Now in terms of brand, in our DNA, our ambition is always to make motorcycles that provide emotion to our customers. We have a definition which is a Japanese word called Kando, and Kando is about arousing emotion. So we try to make motorcycles that are always motorcycles that are fun to ride. You will never have a Yamaha, including the most exclusive in speed, which will be a motorcycle which can put the customer in a situation of discomfort or lack of control of his motorcycle. Its great virtue is that it will always give you confidence, it will never turn against you, and so we have this DNA, this desire to bring emotion, to give our customers a great experience. »
We have been taking care of Maxime Renaux since he was 12 years old
« So when we look ahead to competition, we can't make competitive motorcycles by leaving the riders out to pasture and saying “Okay, have fun and good luck!”. Some of our competitors do it without any qualms, but it's not our thing, so we really try to embrace this notion of sharing. And the problem with competition, in motor sports as a whole, is that it is still expensive, and particularly when we project ourselves onto young people, because a brand is there permanently to build the future. I mean, we can't rest on our laurels and we can't just have fun going and buying the guys who are world champions, buying the best drivers, we shine a little and then everything will be fine: this is not our thing at all, not at all! And besides, if you even look at our high-level drivers, we are the brand that brings young people up. Fabio Quartararo, he arrived in MotoGP at 19! We trusted him! Maxime Renaux, who today is in MXGP at the top of the sport of motocross, we've been taking care of him since he was 12! He's been riding with us since he was 12 and we've been through all the stages together, and he was the youngest rider in MXGP last year as a Factory rider. This is not a coincidence: it means that we are interested in developing and really growing drivers who have trusted us, rather than chasing millions of dollars to buy the best. And it's up to us to train him, the best. Well, in any case, that's what we set ourselves as an objective, and so if we want to have the best in the world championships, we have to have the best in the European championships, and as a result, we have to have the best in the national championships, and we must have the best in the promotion formulas, and we must detect them. »
« To do that, we have this policy called bLU cRU, which starts at the base, that is to say identifying young people. At some point, a young person, a driver, if he wants to be world champion, he has to start one day as a beginner. So we recognize the access categories, so in motocross, in 65, in 85 then in 125, and in speed, it is mainly the R 3 which serves us as a benchmark, and we follow the young people and we offer them, once they have left the regional or even national levels.
In France, we have things that are very well done, like the Promosport made by the Federation. These are formulas where the bikes are standard, original, it doesn't cost too much, but we generally try to set up a trophy which allows us to identify the Yamaha riders and give a carrot . This means that those who stand out can be invited here to the bLU cRU. »
« For 4 days, they will be coached by our best drivers, and we ask our drivers who are in the world championship to know how to give time for others: that is part of the spirit of the brand. And so that's how we have a whole bunch of riders here, whether in motocross or speed. So some, content of their schedule, only come for one day, 2 days, et cetera. But for us, it is very important that there is this mixing, this collective responsibility and this mutual support! When we trust Yamaha, we trust each other, and we try to support each other. »
That’s hateful!
And the virtue behind it is that the step that is the most complicated when you want to progress in motor sports is when you have to attack the International, and there, unfortunately, there are many of teams who only survive through the financing of the drivers they have from their parents, and that costs a lot of money. And I have always been a little frightened, not to say scandalized sometimes, by teams without too many scruples who offer parents “Yes, yes, you will see, I will make a champion. Give me €150 and I’ll give him his season,” et cetera. And that’s hateful! And in any case, I believe that as a brand, it is our responsibility to provide an alternative to this common path to others, and to offer something else.
More than 900 pilots participating. We know if it could potentially make a champion or not
« So today, for example, when we do the European Cup quickly, with the R3, it costs €30 or €000 for the whole season. Parents don't have to buy the bike, the bike is drawn among the riders, so it's fair. We take care of motorcycles and spare motorcycles, so emergency motorcycles if the young person ever falls and his motorcycle is damaged, he immediately has a replacement motorcycle. So all the pilots are on equal terms, we have more than 35 different nationalities on the set; we have Brazilians, Thais, so we are really at an international level. We race at the opening of the Superbike and Supersport World Championship, so on big circuits, world championship circuits, and for €000, you can have a season. And what I think is very important is that it allows parents and young people to really evaluate themselves!
Because parents invest 50, 000, 80€, which is a lot of money, but the young person deserves it and he will be identified and he can grow, in hindsight, it can be -may be justified, but if it is good, but not extremely good, that's a lot of money down the drain! And so there are many other ways to have fun competing in other championships, so you have to be able to advise. And we with the bLU cRU sector, at the European level there are more than 000 drivers who participate, we are really the first academy almost in Europe in terms of motorsport, because even in the automobile there is not that , and in our responsibility we also try to advise parents on the future direction of their child, because we know whether it could potentially make a champion or not. »
They all came through us!
« And I am very happy because, for example, there are disciplines like endurance, where previously there were mainly drivers aged 35 and over. And today, thanks to our sector, we have pilots who have risen to the French Championship level in 600, honorable, who have tried things at the International but it didn't work, and who today bring a new blood in endurance. And in endurance today, you see the 22, 23, 24 year old drivers, I know them all! They all came through us! But it's super nice because they do a lot of good for endurance and, with the virtues of endurance, their level is at the World Championship level. So, it allows us to guide and ensure that this baggage that competition represents is not lost: either by continuing to have fun, or by continuing as a semi-amateur, or by stopping and having kept this experience as a life experience which is extremely enriching in one's future life, whether personal or professional. So we are really very motivated by this sense. That’s what drives us, that’s what makes us happy and that’s why we’re happy to be here! »
Our report on the Yamaha bLU cRU CAMP 2023 is far from over and will continue after the Grand Prix at Silverstone…
