News -
Round 6 of Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship to be held in conjunction with ASBK at The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia
April 17, 2024—The sixth and final round of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship (R3 APC) on November 8-10, 2024, will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia in conjunction with the final round of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK).
With this addition, the R3 APC will now consist of six rounds round with a total of 12 races including the now-complete season opener: four in Thailand, one in Japan, and one in Australia.
Along with Phillip Island, where the MotoGP World Championship’s Australia GP is held, The Bend Motorsport Park, located near Adelaide in South Australia, is one of Australia's leading racetracks. It previously played host to two Asia Road Racing Championship rounds in 2018 and 2019.
The goal of the R3 APC is to develop young riders, and having a round in Australia presents a valuable chance for them to broaden their experience. As the final round, it will serve as a showcase to demonstrate what the riders have learned across the season leading up to it. Because the races will likely play a major role in the points race to see who is crowded champion, a fierce on-track battle is expected.
With riders like Ryan Larkin from Australia and Haydn Fordyce from New Zealand already competing in the R3 APC this season, it is hoped that the addition of an Australian round will lead to more Oceanian riders joining and competing in the future.
Peter Doyle, CEO, Motorcycling Australia
“The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) and Motorcycling Australia is delighted to be hosting the final round of the 2024 R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship at the world-class The Bend circuit in South Australia.
“We already know the Yamaha R3 Championship racing will be fiercely competitive as the emerging stars of the Asia-Pacific region race hard and push their machines to the limit. The races will be great to watch!
“The Bend provides a great circuit for the riders to display their full abilities and skills, and we look forward to including these international competitors into the final round of our ASBK Championship.”
Tetsu Ono, Motorsports Strategy Division General Manager, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
“We are pleased to announce that the final round of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship will be held at The Bend together with the Australian Superbike Championship. We appreciate all the effort enable to realize this fantastic collaboration. We look forward to seeing the growth of bLU cRU riders on the world-class circuit Down Under!”