Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup 2018

The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup is back in 2019, with the sixth season giving another crop of young riders from the Asia-Pacific region the chance to race on the Road to MotoGP™. Seven familiar riders return to compete after an impressive 2018 and 14 rookie talents join the grid this season, creating a 21-strong talent pool from six different countries.

 

The competitors, aged 12 to 19, have been handpicked at an annual IATC Selection Event at Sepang International Circuit and represent Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey. They compete on equal Honda NSF250R Moto3™ machinery to see who has what it takes to become the IATC Champion – as well as hone and improve their skills on the Road to MotoGP™. Once again, they’ll benefit from the vast experience of Asia Talent Cup Director Alberto Puig and his team of experts as they aim to both win and learn.

 

After a test at Sepang in February, the 2019 Cup commences at Losail International Circuit in Qatar as the series kicks off racing alongside the MotoGP™ season opener in March. It’s a quick turnaround for Round 2 as the IATC heads for Buriram in Thailand the following weekend, this time alongside WorldSBK, with the season then hitting the mid-point at Sepang in June alongside the Malaysian Superbike Championship. Then it’s back to the MotoGP™ paddock as the IATC complete their season alongside the Grands Prix in Thailand, Japan and Malaysia in October and November, with 10 of the 12 races once again taking place on the same stages as MotoGP™ and World Superbike. The season finale at Sepang is bound to be another showstopper, with the Cup often going down to the final round, the final lap – and even the final corner.

 

Who will win the Cup in 2019? Japanese riders initially dominated, with Kaito Toba’s triumph in the inaugural series in 2014 followed up by Ayumu Sasaki’s success in 2015. In 2016, the first Thai rider was crowned champion, Somkiat Chantra, before Deniz Öncü took the crown for Turkey in 2017 and there was a little more history made last season as Bill Van Eerde became the first ever Australian Champion. Familiar faces from the front in 2018 could well be in the mix again, but the rookies will be more than up to the challenge of creating more breathtaking competition in 2019.

 

The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup is run by Dorna, the organisers of the MotoGP™ World Championship and the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as well as co-organiser of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The competition provides an opportunity for the most talented young riders in Asia and Oceania to make their first steps on the Road to MotoGP™. The organisation provides all-encompassing support to riders with a full, professional infrastructure meeting international racing standards, as well as managing the logistics involved in running a pan-Asian series.

 

Beyond nurturing their talents, the support provided to the riders also includes insurance coverage, flight tickets and travel arrangements for each round, so they can focus on the job at hand: developing their potential. Former premier class racer and renowned talent scout Alberto Puig is on board to help foster and develop the careers of the young riders from the region, and the IATC has already proven to be one of the best paths on the Road to MotoGP™: the entry list for the 2019 Moto3™ World Championship includes Japanese riders Ayumu Sasaki, Kaito Toba, Kazuki Masaki and Ai Ogura, as well as Red Bull Rookies Cup Champion, IATC runner up and youngest ever Grand Prix winner Can Öncü. In addition, Somkiat Chantra competes in the Moto2™ World Championship to become the first from the Cup to take on the intermediate class.

 

Reigning Champion Bill Van Eerde takes on the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship, racing in the Junior Talent Team alongside two-time IATC runner up Haruki Noguchi, Yuki Kunii, Mario Aji and former British Talent Cup competitor Max Cook. 2017 IATC Champion Deniz Öncü is one of their rivals, too, and the 21 young riders from across two continents in the 2019 edition of the Cup will be aiming to follow in their footsteps on the Road to MotoGP™.

 

Click here to view more