Yamaha have this morning announced it will design and run a one-make series for the WorldSBK European rounds open to nippers between 12 and 15 years of age.

The series, called Yamaha R3 Blu-Cru European Cup, will be contested exclusively on a Yamaha YZF-R3 bike, a winning machine already in the 2019 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship, over eight rounds.

With a grid of 36 riders from around the world expected to line up for the inaugural round of the series in 2020, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup promises lots of exciting races alongside the WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 at the 2020 European rounds.

"With the launch of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup we are making road racing accessible to youngsters who, up until now, have been excluded from competition on production race bikes due to their age," said Yamaha chief Andrea Dosoli.

The aim of the new series is to provide youngsters aged 12 to 15 years from around the world with a fully supported and cost-effective path into road racing, with the added benefit of racing alongside the stars of the FIM Superbike World Championship they aspire to emulate.

“The series is backed by Yamaha Motor Europe, Dorna WSBK Organization and FIM Europe, with logistical and technical support provided by Japan Italy Racing.

This allows us to offer a turnkey solution, with riders able to simply turn up and race. Together with the Yamaha R3 national championships the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup forms the base of our rider development pyramid that, ultimately, provides a path within the Yamaha racing program to the very pinnacle of the sport, MotoGP."