Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and VR46 are delighted to announce a new and exciting collaboration. The two companies have all been dedicated to nourishing next generation riders for many years. They now set out to offer young Yamaha talents the opportunity to hone their racing skills on a World Championship level and have therefore joined forces to commence the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp programme’s most thrilling and challenging project to date: its debut in the Moto2 World Championship.
The brand new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team is wholly owned by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and they will also be funding #theTeam. VR46 will be in charge of the management of the new Moto2 World Championship equipe, which can also count on the support of Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Yamaha Motor Europe N.V., and Yamaha Motor Racing Srl.
The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team will be helmed by Sports Director Gelete Nieto, with Keminth Kubo and Manuel Gonzalez making up the young and determined rider line-up.
Thai rider Kubo took part in the fifth edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp held in Tavullia in 2018. He and the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team debuted together in the FIM CEV Moto2 class in 2019. These last three years of riding allowed the youngster to gain valuable experience. In 2021, Kubo also received his first Wild Card in the Moto2 World Championship. He took part in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya where he finished the race in 26th place.
Spanish rider Gonzalez was only 13 years of age when he was selected for the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2016. In 2017 he had his first WorldSSP300 Wild Card. Shortly after, at just 15 years old, he would become European Talent Cup Champion and with those credentials he joined WorldSSP300 as a full-time rider in 2018. He finished his debut season in sixth place. Just a year later, he became the WorldSSP300 Champion (the youngest champion in its history, 17 Years 56 days old). He moved up to WorldSSP in 2020 and secured seventh in the final standings. This year, he impressed again in the same category. He is holding third in the classifications after various podiums and wins, with just one round to go.
The newly formed Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team will make its debut on the Moto2 World Championship stage at the first official winter test in Valencia, held from 3-4 February 2022. The first objective for both riders will be to adapt gradually to their new team.