Young Yamaha Talents Master 
the Misano World Circuit

The YAMAHA|VR46 Master Camp put its racing education into its highest gear. The five students were provided with new YZF-R3s at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to take part in a timed practice session with Valentino Rossi and the VR46 Riders Academy.

Today was the last time Peerapong Loiboonpeng (Thailand), Galang Hendra Pratama (Indonesia), Soichiro Minamimoto (Japan), Kasma Daniel Bin Kasmayudin (Malaysia) and Imanuel Putra Pratna (Indonesia) visited the Fisio Gym for a workout to warm up for their riding session in the afternoon and they were in for a treat.

After a quick stretching session with Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Migno, the YAMAHA|VR46 Master Camp riders were given a tour around an exclusive part of the gym as a farewell gesture. Morbidelli quickly changed into his leathers and gave a demonstration of how to operate the virtual reality device and “rode” a few laps around the Misano World Circuit.

Having seen a glimpse of what was in store for them later that day, the riders rushed to their last lunch break in Tavullia, where Official VR46 Fan Club Vice President Flavio Fratesi made a surprise entrance with his arms full of gifts for the five riders. With big smiles on their faces and new VR46 caps on their heads, the riders made their way to the track, where they were greeted by VR46 Riders Academy’s Lorenzo Baldassarri. The Moto2 rider had prepared a short briefing for the riders and gave them useful tips, using the circuit’s outline as a visual aid, before Valentino Rossi and the other VR46 Riders Academy regulars joined the gathering. Their arrival signaled it was time for the five pupils to get changed and get aboard their YZF-R3s.

Much like yesterday, they competed against the Doctor, VR46 Riders Academy trainees and other guests, before they were given some clear track time all for themselves for a timed practice session.

Peerapong Loiboonpeng, who set the best time of the five young riders, also scored the best combined results over the YAMAHA|VR46 Master Camp practice sessions, earning him a gold medal.

Comments

Valentino Rossi
Again, today was another great day together with the riders of the YAMAHA|VR46 Master Camp. This time we found ourselves at the Misano World Circuit, and these were three hours of very intensive training. Some of the regular Academy riders followed the Asian riders on the track and at the end of the day I saw them riding really well. I also came across some of them on the track during training and I was impressed with how well they are picking up on our teachings. Tomorrow is the last day of the Master Camp. We will end this very exciting week in a really nice way: on track with minibikes!

Galang Hendra Pratama
We did three sessions at the Misano World Circuit today. The first was just to get a feeling for the track and the bike, and in the second session, I already noticed a big improvement and the last stint was definitely the best of all. At the end of the day, I felt like I was in my element and I’m really happy about this. It was the first time for me to ride at the Misano World Circuit, but Lorenzo Baldassarri gave really good advice on how to ride here. Thanks to him, I was able to ride well here and I can’t wait to ride the R3 again!

Imanuel Putra Pratna
We finally came to the Misano World Circuit! We got to ride R3s and I had been looking forward to this moment all week! Now that I‘ve ridden it, I feel great because it handles really well and the track is really nice. It has been a real experience with Valentino Rossi and the other guys of the VR46 Riders Academy, and we even had Lorenzo Baldassari as a teacher. I think it will take a few weeks before these amazing experiences all sink in and it will feel like reality. I want to sincerely thank Yamaha for making this possible!

Kasma Daniel Bin Kasmayudin
I’m very happy because the Misano World Circuit is a MotoGP circuit and it’s a great honor to ride here. I think it’s also an honor to train with Valentino Rossi and the VR46 Riders Academy. I’m at a loss for words...I’m really grateful to Yamaha for giving us this opportunity to experience so many almost dream-like moments. We are all learning so much every day and I can’t wait to make use of it when I return to Malaysia.

Peerapong Loiboonpeng
This morning’s session was really good for me because I felt a little exhausted after yesterday’s full program at the Motor Ranch. I had muscle aches all over my body and at the gym we got a lesson on how to stretch our muscles in a way that relieves the pain. This was my first time to race at the Misano World Circuit and it’s an honor because it's one of the best racetracks in the world. The layout is difficult, but the speed you carry in the corners is quite similar to the track we have in Thailand. I feel really happy that I’ve had a chance to come here and train in front of Valentino Rossi and the VR46 Riders Academy, and to get a gold YAMAHA|VR46 Master Camp medal at the end of the day is unbelievable.

Soichiro Minamimoto
It was the first time for me to ride at the Misano World Circuit and it was great because it’s fast. I enjoyed the riding session a lot today. It was also the first time I rode on an R3, but the bike is so good that I barely needed time to adapt to it. Lorenzo Baldassarri explained to us how to ride at this circuit and thanks to him I was able to ride smoothly. I also want to thank Franco Morbidelli for showing us the race simulator. I really want to try it some time, because it looks so realistic.