Four races packed into a nine-day period will decide the 2024 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. This week Motorland Aragon in Spain, next week Misano on Italy’s Adriatic coast.
Ten races so far this year have produced five different winners and a points table where eight riders have a mathematical chance of taking the Cup as there are still 100 points to be won.
Realistically the battle is between four hungry teens, Álvaro Carpe (above), Brian Uriarte, Màximo Quiles and Valentin Perrone. All out to ride the wheels off their KTMs.
Uriarte looking to bounce back
Carpe’s superb domination in Austria two weeks ago gives the 17-year-old Spaniard a 24-point advantage over fellow countryman Brian Uriarte (below). 16-year-old Uriarte made his first significant mistake this year when he slid off battling for the lead in Race 2 at Spielberg but remounted to take 13th, his first finish outside the top six in his debut Rookies season.
Third in the title chase and 31 points behind Carpe is 16-year-old Spaniard Quiles. Two wins and consistent top-five finishes made him a major Cup favourite in his third season but missing Mugello put a big hole in his points haul.
More wins needed
Finishing every race in the top seven, including three podiums and three 4th places have put 16-year-old Argentine Perrone (below) 4th in his debut season but he needs to build on his single victory significantly to close the 36 points gap to Carpe.
Rico Salmela returns to the circuit that gave him his first Rookies Cup victory two years ago in his debut season. The 16-year-old Finn often races at the front but has yet to achieve victory number two. Some errors and rare technical issues have knocked his points score this year and he is 66 points off the Cup lead.
No more mistakes
Marco Morelli (below) has seen his fortunes swing even more wildly than Salmela this year, the 17-year-old Argentine started the year by winning Race 1 in Jerez but has had all sorts of dramas since. He was the fastest in Race 1 at Assen but slid off before remounting to 14th, then dominated Race 2 for his second Cup win in his second year.
He only lost victory in Spielberg on the run to the line and is quick enough to win any or all races in the last two rounds, which he needs to as he is 76 points behind Carpe.
More in the battle
While the focus is on winning the Cup and Carpe is the man on form with the points lead there are 25 other riders looking to improve. Veda Pratama (below) is just 15 but the Indonesian has been gaining pace all through his debut season and took the 3rd spot on the podium on Sunday in Austria after sliding out of a likely podium spot the day before.
He is 8th in the points table, with just the theoretical possibility of being able to gain the 100 points needed to take the Cup from Carpe and everyone else. 10 ahead is Hakim Danish and the Malaysian was having a great season with two podiums but he struggled in Assen and Spielberg. The 17-year-old should be back on track and battling at the front of the pack again in these last 4 races.
Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.
Race 1 is at 16:10 CEST on Saturday and Race 2 is on Sunday at 08:45, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.
For more info checkout our dedicated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup News page Rookies Cup News
Or visit the official Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup website rookiescup.redbull.com/
