Garcia Abella Headlines List of Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup Graduates for 2022 WorldSSP300 Season

26-01-2022

Garcia Abella Headlines List of Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup Graduates for 2022 WorldSSP300 Season

Inaugural Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup champion Iker Garcia Abella will make the next step in his racing career with Yamaha, contesting the 2022 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship for the Yamaha MS Racing WorldSSP300 Supported Team. Alongside the Spanish youngster, three other full-time 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup racers have been confirmed for the upcoming WorldSSP300 season.

Garcia Abella enjoyed a stellar Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup campaign in 2021. The 17-year-old became the series’ first race winner at the Misano opener, going on to take victories at Assen and Barcelona clinching the title in a dramatic last race in treacherous conditions at the Spanish finale.

As the title winner, Garcia Abella earned a spot on the 2022 WorldSSP300 grid, benefitting from Yamaha Motor Europe support as the bLU cRU representative in the highly competitive championship, continuing his journey towards the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing.

Also stepping up to the championship this year is Fenton Seabright, who finished third in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup last season. The British rider was a four-time winner in the class and will race for the Vinales Racing Team, as he makes his debut on the world championship stage.

Huberto Maier will also step up to WorldSSP300, riding for the AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing outfit. The Brazilian was a race-winner in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup last season and ended the championship seventh in the final standings.

Greek youngster Ioannis Peristeras is confirmed at ProGP Racing for the 2022 WorldSSP300 season, and arrives off the back of a strong Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup campaign. The 16-year-old was especially impressive in the rain, finishing second in wet conditions at the Barcelona finale on his way to eighth in the championship.

Alongside these, Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup Misano wildcard entry Matteo Vannucci has also been confirmed at AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha. The Italian was the championship's first pole-sitter and went on to score a second-place finish in Race 2.

Youngsters who want to follow in the footsteps of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup graduates into world championship racing, can register their interest for the 2022 edition here.

Iker Garcia Abella

Yamaha MS Racing WorldSSP300 Supported Team

I am very happy for this opportunity that Yamaha has given me after winning the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup title, and I’m very excited to start this new adventure with the Yamaha MS Racing team in WorldSSP300. It’s a dream come true for and I feel ready for this new challenge.

Andrea Dosoli

Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager

It is great to see that a number of Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup graduates will step up to WorldSSP300 this year. We are very happy to see Iker continue his progress into the championship with Yamaha MS Racing, Yamaha’s supported team in the class. We know they will give him a great chance to extract his full potential and we’re looking forward to see how he performs in this highly competitive class. Fenton was one of the standout riders in 2021 and his performances deservedly saw him step up to the WorldSSP300 class. Humberto and Ioannis improved throughout the year and had some performance, and we are confident that they will be among the front-runners as well this season.

2022 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup Calendar

The 2022 campaign will get underway with a pre-season test at MotorLand Aragón on 18 March, where the youngsters will have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with their Yamaha R3 bikes.

The Spanish venue will also host round one of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup on 8-9 April, before heading to Assen in The Netherlands on 22-23 April. The paddock will then take a six-week break, returning at Misano on 10-11 June, which hosted the first-ever round of the championship earlier this year. In July, the youngsters will race at Donington Park (15-16 July) and Most (29-30 July), with Magny-Cours hosting the finale on 9-10 September, where the second title-winner will be crowned.