Young biking enthusiasts can kick-start their ambitions with Red Bull Racing and Suzuki announcing a structured programme to nurture talent in India.
The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, which was announced by Malaysian Super Series champion and Chennai-based motorcycle racer Rajini Krishnan and two-time European stunt-riding champion Aras Gibieza at the ECR Speedway track here, will help bikers, in the age group between 13 and 17, hone their skills and compete on the international stage.
Rajini, who is also the mentor for the project, said: “Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup is going to be of huge help to the young riders. It is for the first time we’ll have a category for 13-17 age group in India. This is going to help Indian racers to be a part of the MotoGP programme overall.
“In Spain and Italy, kids start at the age of five and have dedicated schools for training. I am hopeful that this project will change things in India,” he added.
“Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup comes as great news for the Indian racers. This is my third visit to the country in the last two years and I can comfortably say that it’s high time we had a category for this age group,” said Gibieza, who is currently in the country as a part of his nine-city Suzuki Gixxer Day tour.
The programme will be held alongside the Suzuki Gixxer Cup tour 2016. Ten kids will participate in the race and the best rider among them will represent India in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in Spain.
Hopefully, in few years time, India will produce a MotoGP champion.
The schedule for the qualifiers: Round one (June 24, 25 and 26): KMS, Coimbatore; Round two (July 8, 9 and 10): MMRT, Chennai; Round three (August 12, 13 and 14): MMRT, Chennai; Round four (September 2, 3 and 4): MMRT, Chennai.
