There’s a lot to admire about the ever-evolving BLU CRU pathway, an initiative led locally by Yamaha Motor Australia and serving as a genuine springboard to international competition for aspiring young road racers and their families. This is how the system is nurturing our Aussie stars of tomorrow.

History tells that the widespread support of Yamaha’s domestic arm has long provided opportunities for the youth to climb the ranks of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), with the ultimate target of becoming a Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) rider realistically being within reach.

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Even today, recent YRT recruit Max Stauffer has ridden his way through the ranks from the ShopYamaha R3 Cup – first launched almost a decade ago in 2016 – all the way through what’s regarded as a ‘step-up program’ to this year feature on the official domestic Superbike team aboard its first-class YZF-R1M in one of the most prime positions in this country.

Same too for now 17-year-old Cameron Dunker, who himself finished P3 in Motorcycling Australia’s BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) in 2020 on a YZF-R15 in the series’ second year, followed by achieving the R3 Cup and Australian Supersport 300 Championship double in 2022 riding a YZF-R3, and then winning the Australian Supersport Championship equipped with a YZF-R6 as a rookie in 2023.

Last year he stepped up to the Superbike ranks on an R1 at only 16, starring with a podium at One Raceway’s penultimate round, and going on to finish seventh in the standings as part of the independent Penrite Racing SBK effort. Now, Dunker – with increased Yamaha involvement – is part of the MotoGo team and rates as one of Australia’s very finest emerging talents.

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Beyond that though, there’s also the proposition of beginning in the six-race OJC, which is part of the Dorna Sports-endorsed ‘Road to MotoGP’ program and holds some relevance for those ultimately chasing the grand prix route, or there is more recently the alternate option of graduating to the R3 Cup at home and then aiming for selection in the R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship (APC).

The Asian series debuted in Australia at The Bend alongside the ASBK finale last year with immense interest, and now as a result, five Aussies – 2024 OJC champion Hunter Corney, Valentino Knezovic, Jed Louis, Nikolas Lazos and Phoenix O’Brien – and a couple of Kiwis are entering all six rounds in 2025. Corney, remember, won the APC round at The Bend last year as a wildcard, while Victorian Ryan Larkin impressed with P2 in the final standings.

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Two of this year’s APC series rounds will be in Australia, set for Phillip Island and One Raceway again on ASBK weekends, casting our homegrown talent in the spotlight twice more. A factor that makes it even more appealing beyond the obvious is that the winner of the Asia-Pacific series will be in line to receive significant support into the FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup for the following season.

Will we eventually see one Australian go all the way on the world stage through Yamaha’s system? Time will tell, but for now, it’s an option that is as accessible as it is achievable. Having major financial assistance on your side will always be of benefit, but with connections like this, talent combined with capability also has the underlying chance to find a way.