Many road racing series kicked off their seasons this past weekend and the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was one of them. This series, like MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup and the British Junior Supersport Championship, is geared to shine light on up and coming racers and their riding ability more so than the capabilities of the machines they’re racing. In other words, the motorcycles are supposed to be more or less equal in their performance, despite various engine sizes and power to weight ratios. Yamaha was displeased with the results its bLU cRU riders achieved against other manufacturers’ bikes, which appeared to have a competitive edge over the Yamaha R3.
Yamaha:

April 16, 2018 – The five Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge riders fought valiantly throughout the opening round of the 2018 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship despite being denied a level playing field due to the FIM and Dorna – the series organiser – not being able to balance out the performance levels of the different manufacturers on the grid. Despite this, the bLU cRU riders were still able to show good promise with Galang Hendra Pratama demonstrating sensational pace all weekend, before finishing the race in 16th. Luca Bernardi fought hard in Sunday’s race to greet the chequered flag in 19th, with Dutch riders Dennis Koopman and Joep Overbeeke crossing the line 23rd & 25th respectively, while Hugo de Cancellis from France showed good promise before, unfortu...