Red Bull Rookies Cup

So the Red Bull Rookes Cup in Valencia, Spain, has come and gone, and according to MotoGP.com, a field of 170 hopefuls will have been narrowed to just 20. That's about 12 percent of the entries, so no doubt there are going to be a lot of sad kids come Wednesday night.

Some important things to consider when thinking about the selection process. I think it's extremely difficult to gauge young riders from different counties who are lapping around on bikes that may be unfamiliar to them, and also on a world level track that they have probably never ridden on. To complicate things, the American entrants appear to have run on worn out tires, and with bikes that were not tailored to them. You can read a first hand view here. I'm not trying to say that the try-outs were in any way "rigged", but I want to point out that this purpose of the MotoGP Academy is to foster talent from a variety of countries - countries where riders don't have a chance to grow amidst a strong talent pool. The United States, however, enjoys having a very competitive National Championship, and has produced amazing riders throughout the years.

I think that Dorna pays special attention to riders from countries where they would like to establish a stronger viewership. An up-and-coming rider from France, Germany, or Britain? That would be great, as these are important markets for Dorna, and you can be sure that they are constantly on the lookout for the "next big thing" from one of these countries.

On a side note, I've seen Cameron Beaubier run, and I've known about him for a few years now. Back when I raced with Fast50s I first came into contact with him through Roseville Cycle, where his uncle was a sales manager. It's interesting that the children selected for the Red Bull Rookies Cup try-outs weren't picked out of the blue, but had to apply for it. Why wasn't Elena Myers there?

Posted by Liam on August 30, 2006 09:01 PM | Permalink