Australia joins the 2020 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup calendar

The provisional calendar for the 2020 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup has been announced, mapping out another awesome year of competition for the Road to MotoGP™ initiative. As ever, the season begins with the now-traditional season opener alongside MotoGP™ in Qatar before taking in Buriram, Sepang and Motegi, but there’s also an exciting addition for 2020: Australia.

Next season, the IATC will take on the spectacular Bend Motorsport Park, a state-of-the-art new circuit in Tailem Bend near Adelaide that opened its doors in 2018. Racing alongside the International Motofest in May, it will be the third round of the IATC season.

As the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup aims to discover talent from across Asia and Oceania, this round Down Under is an important addition to the calendar and between that and Australian Bill Van Eerde having taken the 2018 Cup, the future is looking ever brighter for young riders in the region. This announcement also comes at a fitting time as MotoGP™ gear up for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend; an event sure to show off the country’s incredible passion for the sport once again.

Peter Doyle, CEO of Motorcycling Australia: ‘’Motorcycling Australia and the Australian Superbike Championship are thrilled to welcome the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup to Australia in 2020. The International Motofest has quickly become a standout event on the Australian motorcycle calendar and the addition of IATC is a perfect fit. This provides a great opportunity for the fastest young talent within the Asia Pacific region to compete together and to start their journey on the Road to MotoGP. Young Australian riders have already succeeded on this pathway and we hope that the Australian Superbikes Championship continues to play a pivotal role in also developing great racing Down Under. I am sure the IATC racing will be action-packed alongside Australia’s best rider in action and this makes the event a race weekend not to be missed.’’

Sam Shahin, Managing Director of The Bend Motorsport Park: "The vision for The Bend Motorsport Park is to be a world class facility which hosts international standard events of the highest calibre. The Idemitsu Asian Talent Cup is an exciting series that will challenge its riders at The Bend. We look forward to welcoming them along with Dorna, the first-class organisation behind the series."

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: "The Asia Talent Cup is one of the most important projects in our Road to MotoGP program and it’s an unrivalled opportunity for young riders in the region to begin their path to the top. We are excited to be heading to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, as it adds a new track to the Cup, which is always good for competition. Australia is an important country for Grand Prix racing, with MotoGP having race there since 1989 and multiple World Champions hailing from the nation, and is therefore also a pivotal presence in our Road to MotoGP program."

Keep up to date on who could be on the grid racing the new-look calendar next year as the 2020 Selection Event takes place at Sepang on the 29th and 30th October, and then make sure to tune in for 2019 IATC season finale at the same track from the 1st to 3rd November. Who will take over from Van Eerde as the Champion? We're about to find out.