The sun comes out and Rookies get serious in Portimão
Going after their dreams, 26 young riders seized the opportunity to get to grips with the challenging Portimão circuit and their KTM RC 250 Rs over three days of testing for the 16th Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season.
After seeing ex-Rookie Enea Bastianini take the MotoGP World championship lead with victory in the USA on Sunday the current Rookies could not wait to get out on track. Unfortunately it was a miserably wet and cold start on Monday. The weather improved through day two and on Wednesday was very pleasant.
Gustl Auinger rider coach
“It is always the same at the start of the season. We feel so responsible for the riders and hope that we have invited the right youngsters who will enjoy the experience and be able to make the best of the opportunity.
“The weather was a bit unkind to us, so we had more dramas to start with than we would like but it was wonderful to see how the riders settled down. On a dry track, they quickly improved and the difference between the newcomers and the more experienced is already very small. They are all getting on well with each other and offering a little help here and there. It’s great to see.”
Dani Ribalta rider coach
“The first days were difficult with the weather, so we have increased the sessions on the final day from 4 to 6 to give the riders more time in the dry to get the feeling and set up the bikes for the race weekend.
“Last year, we had a big group of fast riders who moved on from the Cup. This year we have a lot of newcomers (14), but we can already see that I think there will be some very close fast racing and the times are already good. The riders who have stayed in the Cup who were not the fastest last year have been working through the winter and we can see their skills have improved, so it is going to be a very interesting season.”
Jacob Roulstone 17-year-old newcomer from Australia
“It’s fantastic. I’m really enjoying getting to grips with the bike and the situation, learning how the Cup works. It’s so very professional, more so than I expected, and I’m looking forward to a great year.”
Cormac Buchanan 15-year-old New Zealander in his second season
“It feels very different to this time last year. I know what to expect and I can get a lot more out of the motorcycle. My riding has developed a huge amount in 12 months, so I can be a bit more relaxed, really enjoy the riding and be more competitive.”
Collin Veijer 17-year-old from the Netherlands in his 3rd year
“Monday was very difficult, wet, running in the bike. Tuesday was also a little bit tricky, but we have had good dry track time, a chance to push a bit more but not too much as this is not the race.
“I am feeling good on the bike, really looking forward to the season. No, I don’t feel any pressure because this is my third year. I am going to enjoy it.”
2022 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Calendar
April 23-24 – Races 1/2 Portimão, Portugal
April 30-May 1 – Races 3/4 Jerez, Spain
May 28-29 – Races 5/6 Mugello, Italy
June 18-19 – Races 7/8 Sachsenring, Germany
July 9-10 – Races 9/10 KymiRing, Finland
August 20-21 – Races 11/12 Spielberg, Austria
September 17-18 – Races 13/14 Aragón, Spain
Entry List
2 Amaury Mizera FRA
5 Tatchakorn Buasri THA
8 Eddie O‘Shea GBR
9 Freddie Heinrich GER
10 Guillermo Moreno MEX
11 Ruché Moodley RSA
12 Jacob Roulstone AUS
14 Cormac Buchanan NZL
18 Angel Piqueras ESP
21 Demis Mihaila ITA
27 Rico Salmela FIN
28 Máximo Quiles ESP
29 Harrison Voight AUS
42 Soma Görbe HUN
48 Gabin Planques FRA
55 Alex Venturini ITA
57 Danial Shahril MAL
58 Luca Lunetta ITA
67 Casey O’Gorman GBR
69 Marcos Ruda ESP
77 Filippo Farioli ITA
78 Jakob Rosenthaler AUT
81 Lorenz Luciano BEL
93 Fadillah Aditama INA
95 Collin Veijer NED
99 José Rueda ESP
