FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup class ready for action at Portimao
Round 1 of the season takes place at the rollercoaster Portimao venue, the perfect location to kick off the campaign
The 2025 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup is set to ignite this weekend at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as the first of six rounds gets underway in the award-winning youth series.
This year’s entry list features 19 full-time riders aged 14-18, from 11 different countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, the Dominican Republic and the USA, making the 2025 edition of the FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup a truly global competition. Additionally, there will also be a number of wildcard riders at rounds throughout the season.
The grid features five returning faces from the 2024 edition, including Italy’s Alessandro Di Persio, who enters the year as a favourite for the title having proven himself as a consistent frontrunner last year, finishing third in the championship standings. Multiple podium finisher Dawid Nowak (Poland) also returns and will be looking to fight for the title, as will Brazil’s Mario Salles Neto.
Eyes will also be on Emanuele Pastori of Italy, who emerged victorious in the 2024 R3 BLU CRU European SuperFinale – a result which earned him a fully supported ride in the World Cup for 2025.
Riders recently underwent a two-day test in Misano, which was topped by Di Persio but the Dominican Republic’s Xarly Mendez De Oleo also impressed to place second quickest overall. Japan’s Kakeru Okunuki was third.
The 2025 FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup takes place alongside six rounds of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, moving on to Misano, Donington Park, Balaton Park, Aragon and Estoril after this weekend’s season opener. The winner of the series will receive a supported ride in the class set to replace the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship in 2026.
Free practice gets underway at 09:00 local time on Friday with the two races taking place at 10:15 on Saturday and 10:05 on Sunday. All of the races for the 2025 FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup are shown live on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel. Plus, you can follow the latest news and updates via Yamaha-Racing.com and the Yamaha BLU CRU official social media channels.
