The new season of the Yamaha R6 Cup begins

The precious pre-season tests held in Imola last weekend served as a prelude to the Yamaha R2012 Cup 6 season debut – the famous one single-make championship dedicated to the Yamaha YZF-R6 super sports car e hosted for the 13th consecutive year within the Italian Speed ​​Championship – which is finally ready to start on Sunday 25 March first round between the curbs of the prestigious international circuit of Mugello.

After almost five months of break from major competitions, there is a great desire among fans of the historic Three Diapason Trophy to demonstrate once again that they are the best. THE forty pilots participating in the new edition, characterized in particular by one strong component of young people and above all nine riders coming directly from the latest editions of the Yamaha R125 Cup, right from the start on the Tuscan track they will be chasing the coveted champion title R6 Cup, in 2011 he went to Andrea Agnelli from Bergamo after six last-gasp challenges against fierce opponents of the caliber of Caloroso, Biliotti and Paoloni.

Who will be Agnelli's successor? The inaugural test at Mugello will certainly be able to provide the first clues for identify the main contenders for the final victory and above all to very rich prize pool of €50.000, this year the highest ever in Italy. The objective, however, always remains the same as in previous seasons and that is to have fun on the track facing high-level rivals on the same curves, theaters of challenges of the most important national and world competitions such as Misano, Mugello, Monza, Imola and Vallelunga.

THE NUMBERS

I am therefore 40 drivers at the start of the 6 R2012 Cup, now in its 13th year of life and increasingly a showcase for all talents with great ambition. The new season, even before it begins, will certainly be remembered for the high number of young people taking part. In fact, there will be a good presence on the grid on the long Mugello straight on Sunday 13 Under 18s and 10 Under 25s to which are added 17 other pilots including 7 Over 35 for a average of only 24 years of age (Coppola is the youngest at 14, Ligabue is the youngest at 50). Among the very young people, 9 are former drivers of the R125 Cup trophy that Yamaha organizes every year for the little ones within the Italian MiniGp Championship: Acquarelli, Bianchi, D'Andrea, Galliani, Leonov, Mastrella, Pala, Pellegrini and Savio, some in the first, some in the second and some even in the third year of R6 will try in every way to stay in the slipstream and annoy more "worn" pilots. There will be 14 drivers in total in their first year of R6 Cup, but Reale will be the only Rookie on the track. finally 5 foreigners present: Alzate-Colombia, Berclaz and Bottani-Switzerland, Jaworska-Poland and Leonov-Russia, the latter "relative" of art as well as Rebecca Bianchi one of the two women at the start.

THE PLAYERS

Given the results of recent years, it is quite challenging to make predictions. In addition to probable surprises which could arrive as has often happened in the past from the long list of young people, always fast and aggressive, the favorites on paper, based on recent history, are Emili and Biliotti, with Carta, Manici, Romano, Viglieno and D'Andrea as possible contenders.

THE 6 ROUNDS

25 March 2012 1st round Mugello

8 April 2012 2nd round Imola

29 April 2012 3rd round Monza

24 June 2012 4th round Mugello

29 July 2012 5th round Misano

14 October 2012 6th round Vallelunga

YAMAHA R6 CUP. ROLL OF HONOR

1999 Maurizio Gennari; 2000 Paolo Bentivogli; 2001 Mirco Ferrini; 2002 Ermanno Rossi; 2003 Massimo Roccoli; 2004 Franco Brugnara; 2005 Sebastiano Zerbo; 2006 Sebastiano Zerbo; 2007 Sebastiano Zerbo; 2008 Cristiano Erbacci; 2009 Stefano Casalotti; 2010 Riccardo Russo; 2011 Andrea Agnelli.