If you are wondering what tire to mount to the rims of your Yamaha YZF-R3 for track days, Pirelli has a suggestion. The Pirelli Diablo Superbike slick tire will be the official tire for the new 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup. It is no surprise, as Pirelli has been the official supplier to the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship since 2004.
The R3 racers will be using the SC1 compound for the Pirelli Diablo Superbike 17-inch slicks, front and rear. The front tire is a 110/70, with the rear a 140/70—the same compound used by the World Supersport 300 World Championship competitors.
“We are very satisfied that Pirelli has been confirmed as the Official Sole Tire Supplier for the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup,” Pirelli Racing Director for the motorcycle business unit Giorgio Barbier said, “because this rewards the continuity of our commitment over the years in racing at all levels and our ability to concretely contribute to the development of young riders, those who will become the champions of tomorrow.”
“This new Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup is part of our aim at FIM Europe, young riders preparing for European and World Championship racing,” FIM Europe President Martin de Graaff explains. “It fits exactly in our program. For young riders, the opportunity to compete at this level, in front of important World Championship teams and, coronavirus permitting, of course, a large number of spectators, must be a dream.”
“After being forced to cancel the series this year due to the coronavirus, we expect a renewed high interest from European riders looking to take their first steps on the world stage,” Yamaha Motor Europe bLU cRU Racing Manager Alberto Barozzi said. “We’ve also been pleasantly surprised by just how many riders from overseas, especially from countries in Asia and South America, see the series as the ideal stepping stone to racing in Europe. This was always our goal—to make the championship accessible to all riders, regardless of their nationality, and I think the level of interest shows we’ve achieved this.”
The six rounds of the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup will include a pair of 10-lap points-paying races on Saturday. Free practice and Superpole are on Friday of the race weekend. The grid will consist of as many as 36 racers, ranging in age from 12 to 20 years old. As the name of the series implies, all the riders will be on a Yamaha YZF-R3. Yamaha, FIM Europe, and Dorna Sports, with support from for MotoGP team Japan Italy Racing, are working together on the series.
Photography by David Clares et al
2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup Schedule
- Round 1: April 23-24; TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
- Round 2: May 7-8; Circuito do Estoril, Portugal
- Round 3: June 11-12; Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
- Round 4: July 2-3; Donington Park, UK
- Round 5: September 3-4; Circuit de Magny-Cours, France
- Round 6: September 17-18; Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
