In 2015, Yamaha Motor celebrated its 60th anniversary, and in March that year in Tokyo, Japan, the company made a declaration.

"In the 60 years since our founding, we've strived to always be challengers. Our passion to face formidable rivals head-on and come out on top is what drives us, and taking on challenges is what lies at the core of the Yamaha racing spirit. Yamaha will continue to be the greatest challenger in the race arena, so that we will always remain our rivals' strongest competition."

At the same time as this declaration, Yamaha began preparing a program to search the globe in order to train and develop riders who could inherit the Yamaha Spirit of Challenge. More specifically, the goal is to create a path (a step-up model) to world-class competition for young riders with big dreams, aspirations and passion, so that they can one day shape their future with Yamaha.

In March 2016, Yamaha entered into a formal partnership with the VR46 Riders Academy, which was established by MotoGP star Valentino Rossi with the goal of supporting and training young riders to compete on the world stage of motorcycle racing. Through the "The Master Camp" program, the Academy will play a key role as a step in Yamaha’s rider development and mentoring system to nurture future talent.

Twice a year, Yamaha riders from around the world are chosen to participate in the Master Camp. For approximately one week, the riders will receive instruction from the Academy’s full-time instructors and riders at Rossi’s Motor Ranch and at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

In the not-too-distant future and together with new heirs to the Yamaha Spirit of Challenge, we want to deliver exceptional value and experiences to motorsports fans all over the world as the strongest challenger for the win in racing. We are eagerly waiting for riders with the ambition and determination to turn their dreams into reality.