Galang Hendra Set for WorldSSP300 Wildcard in Portimao

Yamaha Motor Europe and Pirelli are pleased to announce that Galang Hendra Pratama will feature as a wildcard alongside the six Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge riders at round seven of the 2017 FIM World Supersport 300 Championship in Portimao on the 15th-17th of September. The 18-year-old Indonesian - who currently rides for Yamaha Racing Indonesia in the Asian Road Racing Championship AP250 Championship - featured in the second edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp and is a great example of Yamaha's commitment to developing young riding talent from around the world.

Following this philosophy, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge sees six young riders from around the world compete over the course of the season in the WorldSSP300 championship on a Yamaha YZF-R3 for the chance of a factory supported ride with the manufacturer in a higher class in 2018. The scheme also supports a number of riders in national championships across Europe in an effort to provide the best young talent with a clear career path into the World Superbike Championship. Currently, 19-year-old Alfonso Coppola leads the way in the challenge and occupies third in the overall standings with 82 points, just six behind the championship leader.

Galang Hendra was born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia into a racing family, with both his parents competing on track. He started riding motocross at the age of seven but ended up following in his parent's footstep and made his road-racing debut when he was ten in 2009. He graduated through the smaller class of the Indonesian national championships, putting in some exceptional performances along the way to mark him out as a talent for the future. In 2015, he became an official Yamaha Racing Indonesia rider in the newly formed Asian Road Racing Championship AP250 Championship, finishing in ninth in his rookie season onboard the Yamaha YZF-R25. His impressive performances continued into the 2016 season and saw him selected to take part in the second edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, spending a week learning from his idol Valentino Rossi and his team, in just one of the many schemes the bLU cRU project undertakes to help to bring through the next crop of future world champions. That year he went on to finish fifth in the highly competitive ARRC AP250 Championship and after four rounds in 2017, he currently occupies sixth in the standings.

Supported by Yamaha Motor Europe and Pirelli, Galang Hendra will join the six R3 bLU cRU Challenge riders racing within Team MotoX Racing for the Portimao weekend alongside 18-year-old Ukrainian bLU cRU rider Mykyta Kalinin as he gets to transfer his skills to the world stage in an experience the Indonesian rider is clearly relishing. As Galang Hendra has never been to the Portimao circuit before, he will take part in a test with the team the week before the race to give him the chance to get acquainted with the track and the Yamaha YZF-R3 he will be riding.

The seventh round of the 2017 FIM World Supersport 300 Championship takes place on the 15th-17th of September at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal.

Comments

Galang Hendra Pratama
"Thank you to Yamaha Indonesia who have entrusted me to compete in World Supersport 300 Championship. I will try my best in Portugal. I hope that all the Indonesian fans will pray for my success!"

M. Abidin - PT. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing - GM After Sales & P.R.
"This valuable opportunity for Galang Hendra to experience and increase his knowledge of the World Supersport 300 Championship. Especially using a YZF-R3, a Yamaha Indonesia production model that has a great demand in the global market. I am sure Galang will quickly adapt."

Paolo Pavesio - Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. Marketing Division Manager
"We are proud to have Galang joining our bLU cRU riders in Portimao, he is one of the best young Asian talents and his coming showcases our commitment to bring through the best young riding talent onto the world stage and into the Yamaha family. Thanks to Dorna and the FIM, the new WorldSSP300 class has proven itself as the perfect entry level championship for young riders to showcase their talent. The Yamaha YZF-R3 has as well proven to be the dominant force in the series, with 8 out of the top ten riders in the championship standings on the bike. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing have done a brilliant job developing riders like Galang in the AARC and I wish him the best of luck for his WorldSSP300 debut. It will give him a great opportunity not only to test his skills against some of the best young riders in the world, but also to experience what it is to be a part of the Yamaha Racing world in Europe as well."

Giorgio Barbier - Pirelli Racing Director
"We are glad to collaborate with Yamaha to encourage and develop some of the best young riding talent in the world and that's the reason why we also decided to support the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. For Pirelli, Asia is an important and growing market and just a couple of years ago we established a new factory in Indonesia so we are always interested in this kind of activity in order to increase our presence and visibility in the Asian markets. I believe the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship is the best way for a young rider to grow and gain experience before jumping to major classes."