Passion and hard work are key for Huanni Ke

Huanni Ke, one of the youngest and also one of the fastest developing riders in the

Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship, carries a maturity far beyond his years.

He was born in Beijing, but moved to Malaysia in 2022 to go to school, and from there to race motorcycles. His father, a former racer himself, bought Huanni a 50cc bike for his 7 th birthday, and so his journey began. “At first, I hated it,” he grinned. “I used to crash so much! I had a bad one when I was 9 when my throttle stuck open and I crashed into a wall on a track with no protection. My arm was badly broken and I had to stay home for one-and-a-half months. During that time, I thought about giving up, and even my father thought maybe I should stop racing.

“I had a lot of time to think, though, and remembered well the thrill of racing, like the feeling of freedom in fast turns and the intense challenge of competing. After the injury, I started to train harder and grew to love racing so much. My first proper race was in September 2023, in MSBK (Malaysia Superbike) 250s at Sepang.”

While looking for his next move, Huanni found a link to the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific

Championship and jumped at the opportunities on offer. As well as the big prize of breaking into the World Superbike paddock, the chance to develop his skills with some of the fastest young riders in the region was irresistible. He proved that he had the speed in Round 1 by qualifying third and taking a 7 th place finish.

“At this stage in my career, I learn something every time I go out. It could be that I make a mistake or have a technical problem. The support from Yamaha is teaching me a lot too – about bike set up, reading data, riding and racing skills, and so on. I want to keep improving and win races.”

Huanni looked thoughtful when asked about his racing idols.

“Valentino Rossi and Pedro Acosta,” he responded. “Rossi is a legend, and Acosta has so much potential and love of the sport.”

Huanni’s innate skill, intelligent determination and engaging personality mark him out as a rider with the potential not only to win races, but to win over the growing number of fans tuning into motorsport in China.