Intense bar-to-bar action in front of a loud and colourful crowd at the biggest event of the year – the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Presented by Fiat Professional – made for an exhilarating 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup SuperFinale which saw Sweden’s Arvid Lüning top the box ahead of two extremely talented Italians Francesco Bassi and Kevin Cristino.
The spectacular Matterley Basin circuit had for vastly different racing conditions in Race 2 compared to Saturday’s Race 1. When the gates dropped for the second and final race of the weekend, Francesco Bassi carved through the track on his YZ125 to lead yesterday’s race winner Jorgen-Matthias Talviku around the first turn. The Italian was fast on the opening lap, but chose to be smart instead of taking unnecessary risks and let Talviku go by on lap two.
Talviku’s technical ability was a cut above this weekend and the Estonian was nothing short of impressive as he used a tender touch on the throttle and his great balance and body position to pull a 15 second lead in the first two laps.
The circuit demanded a lot of strength and a great eye for a smoother line. Lüning got off to yet another mid-pack start, the Swede had his work cut out for him as he sliced and diced his way through the field.
With 5-minutes to go, Talviku caught an edge while jumping into the wave section. He landed sideways and fell from the lead. Bassi and Lüning capitalised on Talviku’s mistake which meant the race win & eventual class win was in sight for both riders. The talented duo of youngsters threw their hearts and souls on the table in a gripping fight for the victory, which eventually went to Lüning after he crept up the inside of Bassi in a difficult section of the track.
Bassi held onto second place while the Race 1 winner Talviku found himself up against the challenging track conditions. The final few laps were a battle of survival. Frenchman, Pierre Moine was a rider that stood out. The sixteen-year-old used his extraordinary balance and ability to read changing conditions to finish third ahead of Mirko Dal Bosco and yesterday’s second place finisher Kevin Cristino. Talviku was ninth at the flag.
As the only rider to finish inside the top-three in both races with a third place finish in the first race yesterday followed by a win in the second race this morning, sixteen-year-old Swede Arvid Luning took the honors and topped the podium. Sixteen-year-old Italian Francesco Bassi proved how versatile he is with a fourth place on the drier track in Race 1 followed by a second place finish on the tricky soil of Race 2, while his young compatriot Kevin Cristino – aged fourteen-years-old – was stronger in Race 1 where he finished second place, but fought hard for fifth place in the final race to stand on the third step of the podium. Joining the talented trio up on stage was fourteen-year-old Spaniard Carles Rosell who received the ‘Youngest Rider Award’, and Hanna Leipold who received the award for ‘Best Performing Distributor’ on behalf of Yamaha Motor Finland.
After a wild and challenging, yet extremely fun and rewarding weekend, five riders have been selected to attend the bLU cRU Master Class in Italy at the end of this month. The top-three finishers, sixteen-year-old Swede Arvid Lüning, sixteen-year-old Italian Francesco Bassi and his fourteen-year-old compatriot Kevin Cristino will be joined by the two kids that made the wild-card selection; Race 1 winner fifteen-year-old Estonian Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and sixteen-year-old Frenchman Pierre Moine.
The five riders that made the bLU cRU Master Class cut will join fifteen talented young road-racers who have been competing in the R3 bLU cRU Challenge – Yamaha’s tarmac-based youth development series that coincides with the World Superbike Championship – will attend a three-day event run by a group of highly acclaimed bLU cRU ambassadors, designed to inspire and educate young aspiring motorsport athletes by offering them exclusive knowledge, insight and training tips from some of their heroes. Of the five finalists that make it to the bLU cRU Master Class, one promising rider that has proven he has the desire, talent and attitude to be something great will be selected as the 2017 YZ125 bLU cRU Cup winner. He will be rewarded with a professional contract to race a GYTR kitted YZ125 in the 2018 EMX125 Championship, and a place on the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team.
After the event a press conference was held with the top three finishers, Youthstream Vice President David Luongo, and Yamaha Motor Europe Marketing Division Manager Paolo Pavesio. Both Mr. Pavesio and Mr. Luongo spoke about the importance of having such events as they contribute to the pyramid system of motocross which Youthstream promotes giving young talented riders the opportunity to be in the spotlight of major events and progress their career within the motocross realm. Mr. Pavesio concluded the press conference by presenting a plate from Yamaha to Mr. Luongo and Youthstream as a token of appreciation for the past and dedication to the future.
