Yamaha Motor Company has♍ agreed꧋ a three-year partnership with factory MotoGP star Valentino Rossi's 'VR46 Riders Academy' as an Official Partner and Motorcycle Supplier.

Yamaha will support the Academy's p༒rogram and supply a total of 26 R-Series and YZ series motorcycles to help riders train and develop their racing skills at the VR46 MotoRanch and nearby Misano road race circuit.

Yamaha also plans to support the Ac🌟ademy by contributing to their educ𒁃ation process and giving insights into PR, promotional and team expectations.

But the company is also in the process of creating its own 'step-up model and system to provide tier-based opportunities for young riders to 🍒grow'.

The VR46 programme is to play a part in this: It's primary rol♋e will be boost th🧸e motivation of young riders, whilst acquiring the riding experience and skills to help move up through the tiered structure.

As a first step, Yamaha will select a limited number of the best young riders competing 🍰in the Asia Road Racing Championships as well as other rider development series to tr♋ain at the Academy.

Two one-week workshops are planned in 2016. The talented youngsters will have the chance to train alongside the full t⛎ime VR46 Riders Academy riders in the gym, at the MotoRanch and at the Misano circuit, riding YZF-R3 a𓆏nd YZ250F machines.

All riders will have full access to🧸 the facilities of the Academy and Rossi himself will part🎃icipate and instruct the selected candidates along with the full-time Academy staff.

"The partnership between Yamaha and VR46 makes me very happy and incredibly proud," said nine time world champion Rossi. "Through the Acadཧemy we have been doing very interesting things for young and talented riders and I believe we couldn't have found a better partner than Yamaha to provide our guys everything they need to grow up quickly and improve their performances on track.

"๊I am particularly happy b🌱ecause this agreement involves two things that I love and have put lots of efforts in; Yamaha and my Riders Academy. I really hope that this partnership will result in some great things.

"We have been supporting talented rid༺ers and I am confident that together we will achieve exciting results. We are planning many activities involving the Academy and its riders. Yamaha is making many of these initiatives possible and I want to thank them for this chance.

"I am also looking forward to meeting the riders that will attend the training sessions throughout 2016. I am sure they'll enjoy the time at th📖e Academy and that we'𒐪ll have a lot of fun together. Maybe we'll find new racing talents!"

Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis added:

"I am extremely happy that we are able to begin this formal partnership with the VR46 Riders Academy. The Academy started as a natural development of Va💟lentino's incredible passion for motorcycling and racing when he committed himself to supporting the next generation of riders to develop their talent and skills to become future World Championship racers.

"Yamaha share the same passion as Valentino and we are engaged around the world with numerous programs to encourage and develop young aspiring ri๊ders to follow their dreams and to improve their performances to achieve their full potential.

"This new program will give a unique opportunity for selected talented riders to train and learn from 'the Master' and from the full-time VR46 Riders Academy riders 𒆙during the 2 one-week dedicated training sessions.

"An additional but equally important aspect of the new partnership is for Yamaha to support and engage with the VR46 Riders Academy's full-ౠtime program. Yamaha will contribute with the supply of training bikes as well as getting involved in the education of the riders. Some of these young riders will surely evolve to be the Factory riders of tomorrow.

"Yamaha will be watching closely as their careers develop and hopefully some🀅 of them will become our next generation Factory riders in the future."

As well as running its own Moto3 team for R♛omano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Nicol? Bulega, other members of the VR46 Academy (established in 2014) include Franco Morbidelli, Lorenzo Baldassari, Nꦺicol? Antonelli, Francesco Bagnaia and Rossi's half-brother Luca Marini.