The road to MotoGP™ is growing! A new program for riders in Germany and Austria as well as changes to the Northern Talent Cup from 2024 were announced at a press conference at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.
Carlos Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, announced the news with Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Board of Directors of KTM AG, Fabian Schuster, Head of Motorcycles and Coordination at ADAC, and Alberto Puig, Technical Director of Talent Development at Dorna, at the press conference.
The new program is called “KTM Junior Cup supported by ADAC” and is scheduled to start in 2024. The new cup replaces the Austrian Junior Cup and will be held with the KTM RC4 R throughout Austria and Germany. It makes an ideal stepping stone between the FIM MiniGP World Series classes and the next step on the road to MotoGP™: The Northern Talent Cup.
There will also be some changes at the NTC from 2024. To balance the competition with the European Talent Cup on the Finetwork FIM JuniorGP™ circuit, Honda will be the manufacturer for next season and the Honda NSF 250 R will be the only machine on the NTC grid.
The Northern Talent Cup targets drivers from northern and central European countries and aims to enable close competition in a cost-effective manner. This includes the calendar, which ensures that riders from the region do not have to travel to another part of the continent to further their careers on their way to MotoGP™. Moving to Honda from 2024 brings the materials used in the NTC in line with those in the European Talent Cup, creating a more comparable starting point for the Red Bull MotoGP and/or Junior GP™ Cup.
The road to MotoGP ™ can now start for riders in Austria, Germany and across Northern and Central Europe in the FIM MiniGP World Series Championship, ADAC-supported KTM Junior Cup, Northern Talent Cup and then the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup or move up to the JuniorGP ™ program, which creates the perfect track for riders Youngsters to hone their craft, gain experience and race in the safest conditions.
Carlos Ezpeleta, Head of Sports at Dorna: “We are very pleased that the road to MotoGP is growing in an important region for us, which is Northern and Central Europe, because the new KTM Junior Cup powered by ADAC is the missing link between the MiniGP and NTC base. We believe talent and passion should be the key for young drivers, not social factors Or economic, and a big part of that is creating opportunities for young drivers to race where they are without leaving the continent.”
“This is also the reason for the change at NTC. We hope that moving to the same machines as ETC will make the series more competitive – not only on the track, where racing has always been close and educational for the drivers, but also in terms of level compared to similar Cups like ETC, more This feeder chain creates more equity as riders no longer have to choose between higher-level racing that may be far away and require more investment, and racing closer to home.That’s the goal, all over the world, and we’re very pleased to be able to Take more and more steps in this direction.
Alberto Puig, Technical Director of Dorna Talent Development: “It’s always good to see the road to MotoGP grow and new opportunities like this are so valuable to young riders. This is an exciting new chapter for riders from this part of Europe, giving them a career path without having to go somewhere else so small.”
“This will also be an exciting new era for NTC, which will be competing on the same machines as other similar competitions on the MotoGP road. We have competed with the Honda NSF 250 R in competitions such as the British Talent Asia Cup. The Talent Cup and European Talent Cup have been so successful that they have allowed It allows us to maintain a certain level on the road to MotoGP, which is also the right level for the riders to be more prepared for the next step.”
Hubert Trunkenpolz, CMO KTM AG: “After supporting the Austrian Junior Cup for three years to find new national champions, we are now fully committed to expanding the project regionally with ADAC. The new KTM Junior Cup aims to be a platform for all-German-speaking road racing juniors. The KTM RC4 R is one of the most Racing is competitive for beginners and all racing events will be held in Germany or Austria on FIA approved tracks!”
Dr. Gerd Enser, Chief Sports Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports Company: “Together with our partner KTM, we are promoting the development of young riders in motorcycle racing. With the new KTM Junior powered by ADAC, we are creating an attractive category for beginners. The Cup complements our comprehensive support concept in motorcycle racing: starting with our introductory courses at the Road Racing Academy ADAC and in the ADAC Mini Junior Series and Pocket Bike Cup as well as the FIM MiniGP Germany Series, talented riders can develop further through the ADAC-supported KTM Junior Cup to the Northern Talent Cup and thus find the perfect environment on their way to the top-class world sport.”
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