The Belgian Motorcycle Academy: a new path on the Road to MotoGP™

The new academy aims to discover and foster young talent from the country 

Tuesday, 21 January 2020

Dorna Sports is proud to announce a new addition to the Road to MotoGP™: the Belgian Motorcycle Academy. The FMWB, Zelos/MIG, the Circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet and the Belgian Motorcycle Foundation have come together to create the Academy, a new programme that aims to find, foster and guide young Belgian talents between the ages of seven and 14, steering them towards success in motorcycle competition.

The Belgian Motorcycle Academy will provide a training programme of at least 10 days per year, principally taking place during weekends and school holidays. The members of the Academy will receive advanced training in different motorcycle disciplines such as trial, dirt track, supermotard, motocross and road racing, as well as courses in communication, psychology, nutrition and physical training, creating an all-encompassing programme. The Academy will count on several coaches and instructors certified by the Fédération Motocycliste Wallonne de Belgique (FMWB) and ADEPS, including Stéphane Mertens and Fred Fiorentino.

The idea was formed when Freddy Tacheny, the president of the Academy, learned of the new Northern Talent Cup and decided, along with President of the Belgian Motorcycle Foundation Michel Wanty, to begin this new project. As part of the Road to MotoGP™, the best riders from the Academy will have access to the NTC selection process in future and in 2020, there are already two young Belgian riders signed up to compete in the Cup – chosen after a selection day organised by the co-founders of the Academy. They are 16-year-old Lorenz Luciano, who has shown his talent in FSBK pre-Moto3 for the past two years, and 17-year-old Amélie Triffet, third in the FFM Women’s Cup in 2019. They were selected to race in the inaugural NTC and form the Junior Black Knights Team, managed by Christophe Chantrain.

In addition to the founders and the support of Dorna, the Academy can also count on support from Yamaha Belgium, Pirelli, Bihr, Yamaha Zone Rouge d’Andenne and Yamalube.

Freddy Tacheny, President of the Belgian Motorcycle Academy: “With Carmelo Ezpeleta and his team, we had often discussed the lack of a professional pathway in Northern Europe. The arrival of the NTC will allow riders in Northern Europe to further improve their learning of professional racing and to level the playing field compared to riders from the south, currently very present in the World Championships. With pride, we are also announcing the creation of a Belgian Motorcycle Academy, officially recognised by Dorna, whose objective is to detect and train young talents in Belgium, an historic breeding ground for motorcycle champions. We are particularly pleased that two of our riders have been selected to participate in the Northern Talent Cup, namely Amélie Triffet and Luciano Lorenz. I thank Dorna and all the partners for their support in Belgium and wish the Belgian Motorcycle Academy and the Northern Talent Cup a long life!”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “I’m delighted to welcome the Belgian Motorcycle Academy to the Road to MotoGP and to extend the programme to another important country. Discovering and developing young talent is a vital part of our vision and the Belgian Motorcycle Academy will be another valuable partner. I’m looking forward to seeing the youngsters come through the Academy and lay more foundations for the future of motorcycling in their country and region, in tandem with the new Northern Talent Cup.”

More projects and information will be published in due course. To sign up for the chance to become part of the Academy, a rider must be between seven and 14-years-old, be a Belgian national, be able to ride and have an annual FMWB licence. Riders of 11 years of age or older must accompany their application with a sporting CV. Several selection days are set to be organised each year, depending on the number of registered riders, and will include a physical and psychological assessment.

The price of registration is €2,500 which covers supervision, the provision of different types of motorcycles, the courses, complete equipment, the instructors and the provision of different circuits (+ €2,000 security deposit). Inscriptions will take place via the Academy’s website, which will be online in February 2020. Until then, riders can send their applications to [email protected].