Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Official Tests

Talented young riders revelled in the true racing circuit atmosphere in Valencia recently when they gathered for the first official testing for the 2007 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, photo shoots and TV footage. The Rookies Cup is a unique program for sponsoring young motorcycle talent born between 1990 and 1994. This season the competition is truly international with an extended list of 23 riders from 10 nations.

Speaking about this year’s extended entry list, KTM Road Racing Director Harald Bartol said: It was a very nice “problem” for us to have to suddenly have 23 young riders available. We wanted to guarantee the highest possible quality and therefore decided to extend the list of starters.”

The official testing underlined the high standard of this year’s competitors, who are all riding KTM RC 125 machines. Although several had not completely recovered from previous injuries, they were determined to put in a good test. For some, it was their first ride on circuit in a real racing atmosphere. They had to work in a team environment, learn the rules of motor racing and deal with the sport’s stress. Riders were chosen not only on their results but also on their personality, racing spirit, team spirit and sense of fair play.

The competitors taste true KTM “Ready to Race” spirit with the team of professional KTM mechanics and two massive RB MotoGP Rookies Cup transporters and tent provide 800 m2 of working surface. Catering and a Red Bull Rookies Energy Station are also provided.

There are seven stops in the 2007 Rookies Cup all linked to the official MotoGP events. The season starts March 25 in Jerez, Spain with other races at Mugello, Italy; Donington, UK; Assen, Netherlands; on Germany’s Sachsenring, at Brno, Czech Republic before concluding back at the same circuit of the first official training – Valencia in Spain. This year’s line-up includes four riders from Germany, five from the United Kingdom, four from Spain, three from the USA, two from France and one each from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Norway and Sweden.