Red Bull Motorsports
Red Bull Rookies Cup
Inside the Red Bull Rookies Cup: Training tomorrow's MotoGP™ champions
Discover the thrill of the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup, where raw talent becomes MotoGP™ greatness. Get ready to witness the rise of future racing legends - here is all you need to know.
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For many aspiring motorcycle racers, the ultimate dream is to compete in MotoGP™ and clinch a world championship. While not every young talent gets to live this dream, the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup has been making this journey a lot more achievable since 2007. Dive in to discover the thrilling series that’s shaping the future stars of motorcycle racing with our guide.
01
What is the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup?
The Red Bull Rookies Cup is pure action from start to finish
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Is there a better way to support up-and-coming young talent and prepare them for the journey towards the full motorbike world championship? This was the question Red Bull, Dorna Sports, KTM, Ipone and Alpinestars looked to answer in 2007, when the idea for the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup was born.
Dani Ribalta and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
The idea was to create a racing series for up-and-coming racers aged between 14 and 18, who would compete for the title in a championship run during European rounds of the MotoGP™ series and hope to catch the attention of a team in the Moto3™ class and, from there, move up through the world championship levels all the way to the premier MotoGP™ division. It's been running ever since and has proven to be a huge success, seeing future Grand Prix winners and world champions graduate from it's ranks.
02
Who are the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup winners?
Over the 17 years of its existence, the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup has produced a number of star names who have become an integral part of motorbike racing.
For example, French MotoGP™ race winner Johann Zarco secured overall victory in the inaugural 2007 series. He finished on the podium in seven of the season's eight races and was recruited for the Red Bull MotoGP™ Academy the following year. In 2009, Zarco made the leap to the 125cc class – now known as Moto3™ – and the rest is history: he became Moto3™ world champion in 2011, won Moto2™ in 2015 and 2016, and then secured a place in MotoGP™ in 2017.
Johann Zarco was the first-ever Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup winner in 2007
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Brad Binder is another Rookies Cup alumni who's won in MotoGP
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Zarco isn't the only big name to have graduated from the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup to the premier class of motorbike racing. There's also:
- Brad Binder - 2009 Rookies Cup graduate, 2016 Moto3™ world champion and race-winning Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team leader in MotoGP™ since 2020.
- Joan Mir - 2013 and 2014 Rookies Cup rider, 2017 Moto3™ world champion, and the 2020 MotoGP™ world champion.
- Jorge Martín - The 2014 Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup champion, 2018 Moto3™ world champion and MotoGP™ contender since 2021, where he's won six Grands Prix.
- Pedro Acosta - 2019 Rookies Cup competitor, the 2021 Moto3™ world champion and 2023 Moto2™ world champ stepped up to MotoGP™ for 2024 and has already scored podium finishes.
- Daniel Holgado - 2020 Rookies Cup graduate and contender for the 2024 Moto3™ world title.
03
Who can take part in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup?
Apart from the fixed age of 14 to 18 years old, there are virtually no restrictions when it comes to participating in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup. Both men and women racers can try their luck.
If you're between 14 and 18, you're eligible to race the series
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Weight and height do not play a role, although riders who are less than 1.72m tall and weigh less than 62kg have a better chance of being accepted for the series. However, this is not a hard and fast rule – what counts is ability on the track.
Previous racing experience also isn't a must, although previous experience is an advantage if you want to be invited to the Selection Event. This is the stepping stone to the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup.
04
How to join the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup?
To take part in the Rookies Cup, interested parties must register on the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup website. There's a strict deadline that must be observed and, in principle, the earlier applications are submitted, the better chance they have of success.
The reason for this is simple: four judges select the 26 participants who'll compete in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup each season from an average of over 120 applications per year. Thus, the earlier the application is submitted, the more time the judges have to scrutinise the applicants' performance and skills and make their selection.
If rider's application is accepted, the judges will review race and championship results over the course of the year to see what progress the potential candidates make over the course of a season, whether it's in road races or dirt bike events. The judges also want to find out more about the candidates, including their personality, background and experience.
The selection events allow the judges to see riders up close and in person
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
The team then sends out invitations to the selection event, which will take place at a later date in 2024. On average, six to eight riders from this selection process make it into the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup.
There were a total of 26 riders in the 2023 season and 26 riders from 17 nations are racing in the 2024 Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup.
05
Who are the judges at the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup?
The decision on who makes the cut is currently in the hands of four judges:
- Gustl Auginer - Austrian motorbike legend and Grand Prix winner.
- Harald Bartol - Austrian Grand Prix rider and engineer.
- Peter Clifford - MotoGP™ expert and former team owner of Red Bull Yamaha.
- Daniel Ribalta - Rookies Cup rider and coach.
Gustl Auinger has decades of experience to share with hopefuls
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
06
What bikes do they use in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup?
Identical KTMs are under every rider in the championship
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
In the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup it's riding ability that counts. That's why all participants ride the exact same bike. Since 2013, a four-stroke machine from Moto3™ has been used: the KTM RC 250 R. It delivers 249.5cc at a weight of around 82kg and revs up to 13,000rpm.
Get Ready to Race reveals how the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup bike was created and how the design process went across five episodes.
07
What's the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup schedule 2024?
A season in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup isn't quite as long as in Moto3™, Moto2™ and MotoGP™. The championship includes one test and seven world championship rounds, all based in Europe. The 2024 season started on April 11–12 for the test in Jerez, Spain, with the season finale taking place on September 7–8 in Misano, Italy. See the full calendar below.
Find out more about the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup and keep up to date with the 2024 season here.
Round
Date
Venue
Test
April 11–12
Jerez, Spain
Round 1
April 27-8
Jerez,Spain
Round 2
May 11–12
Le Mans, France
Round 3
June 1–2
Mugello, Italy
Round 4
June 29-30
Assen, Netherlands
Round 5
August 17–18
Spielberg, Austria
Round 6
August 31–September 1
Aragon, Spain
Round 7
September 7–8
Misano, Italy
08
Watch Born Racers, the documentary about the racing academy
2 min
Get ready for Born Racers
Born Racers follows 26 rookie riders, all with one dream – winning MotoGP™.
Six-part documentary series Born Racers follows motorcycling's young talents as they try to prove their place in Grand Prix racing in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup feeder series.
From hardships and motivations, the series highlights the young riders at the start of the competition. Born Racers captures the real-life trials that racing hopefuls must go through: family sacrifices, pressure, doubts, friendships and rivalries.
Born Racers premiers across Europe, the UK and the USA on the following viewing platforms:
Country
Channel
Release date
Austria
01.07.24
Austria
10.08.24
Belgium
08.08.24
Czech Republic
01.08.24
France
09.05.24
Germany
10.08.24
Netherlands
08.08.24
Switzerland
01.07.24
Slovakia
01.08.24
UK
TNT Sports
27.06.24
UK
18.07.24
UK
DMAX
Q4, 2024
US
TruTV
28.06.24
US
18.07.24
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