Back to Mugello and the twelfth season of Rookies Cup
The twelfth Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season sees a return to Mugello for the first time since 2014 and we’ve missed the classic venue and passionate fans. Twenty-five of the world’s fastest teenagers will contest this year’s twelve race series and they come from seventeen nations, from Wales to Australia, from Japan to Colombia.
The season starts with three days of pre-season testing in Jerez where all the riders get the chance to familiarise or re-familiarise themselves with the KTM RC 250 R and shake off the winter blues.
Racing
The season proper starts at the same venue on May 5th as a key part of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. Most weekends see two races but the Italian’s traditionally invade the track after the MotoGP race so that alters the schedule for the races at Mugello and Misano.
The season ends, as usual, back in Spain at Motorland Aragón in September. By then we will have the twelfth Rookies Cup champion and almost certainly a good number more ex Rookie Grand Prix winners and possibly World Champions.
Winning
Ex Rookies now compete with enormous success in all classes. For the last three seasons the Moto3 World Champion has been an ex Rookie and the 2017 title holder Joan Mir now moves up to the Moto2 category to join 2016 Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder. Johann Zarco, our first Rookies champion and twice Moto2 World Champion, continues his incredible MotoGP campaign.
Calendar
Test
April 3rd to 6th – Jerez, Spain
Races
1&2 – May 5th & 6th – Jerez, Spain
3 – June 2nd – Mugello, Italy
4&5 – June 30th & July 1st – Assen, Netherlands
6&7 – July 14th & 15th – Sachsenring, Germany
8&9 – August 11th & 12th – Red Bull Ring, Austria
10 – September 8th – Misano, Italy
11&12 – September 22nd & 23rd – Aragón, Spain
Provisional Entry List
3 Pasquale Alfano ITA
5 Simon Jespersen DEN
6 Ryusei Yamanaka JPN
7 Barry Baltus BEL
11 Dan Jones GBR
12 Filip Salac CZE
19 Sasha De Vits BEL
22 Peetu Paavilainen FIN
24 Xavier Artigas ESP
28 Adrián Carrasco ESP
29 Billy Van Eerde AUS
30 Max Cook GBR
31 Gerry Salim INA
40 Sean Kelly USA
43 Steward Garcia COL
44 Nicolás Hernández COL
50 Jason Dupasquier SUI
53 Deniz Öncü TUR
61 Can Öncü TUR
62 Aidan Liebenberg RSA
66 Adrián Huertas ESP
83 Meikon Kawakami BRA
88 Matteo Patacca ITA
92 Yuki Kunii JPN
99 Carlos Tatay ESP