After three rounds in Germany, the Northern Talent Cup heads for pastures new this weekend for the fourth and final showdown of the year. The Automotodrom Brno hosts, the classic Grand Prix venue giving the grid some vital experience and a whole new challenge in the season finale.
German Freddie Heinrich (PrüstelGP Junior Team) arrives in the lead, having taken a podium in every race so far. His 113 points give him a cushion going in, and no one would bet against his record – although he’s only won one race. So what’s the only way to overhaul consistency? There’s a fairly simple answer, although it’s far from easy: win a lot.
That’s what Soma Görbe (HRE Team) has been doing. The Hungarian suffered a DNF at the Lausitzring in Race 1, and it seemed it would be an uphill struggle to get back on a par with Heinrich. But Görbe bounced back with a top five and then did the double at Hockenheim, meaning he’s taken three wins overall and is now only 14 points down. With 50 on the table at Brno, there’s everything still to play for.
That’s also true of the rider third overall, Lorenz Luciano (Junior Black Knights Team). The Belgian is seven points off Görbe and has also been on the top step, so it’s a longer shot but the number 81 has shown some serious speed. All it needs is one splash of drama and the battle could turn on its head. For Jakub Gurecky (JRT of Automotodrom Brno) in fourth that’s also true, although for him it’s a real long shot. The Czech rider arrives on home turf 42 points back, but he’s clawed that back after a double DNF in the first round after technical trouble. So maybe it’s unlikely he’ll take the crown, but it’s very likely he’ll be in the fight at the front – complicating life a little for the likes of Heinrich, Görbe and Luciano.
Jacopo Hosciuc (Hos Racing Team) is the final rider in with a mathematical shot at the Cup. He’s 47 off though, so he’ll likely more be riding for wins and that, again, could put a spanner in the works for those who need those points in their bid for the crown. He’s been fast all season but he’s not won yet… so that seems a likely goal for the Romanian in the final two races of the year.
Jonas Kocourek (JRT of Automotodrom Brno) has also been coming on strong recently, and he’s another who, like Gurecky, races on home turf at Brno. That only adds incentive, so he’ll be one to watch. And what about the consistent performers who’ve not quite made it into that frontrunning group yet? Jakob Rosenthaler (RTR – Racing Team Rosenthaler) has been impressively metronomic in the inaugural Cup, taking top six finishes more often than not. Can he take a step forward? He’s also equal on points with Noel Willemsen (NW Racing) so that will be an interesting fight, and the likes of Kas Beekmans (KNMV), Dustin Schneider (PrüstelGP Junior Team), Tibor Varga (Forty Racing), Damian Boessenkool (KNMV) and Niklas Kitzbichler (Racing Team Kitzbichler) could have something to say in that fight too…
There are two wildcards for the event this time around: Loris Veneman (Kahuna Security Racing) and Barnabás Oláh (HRE Team). Can they get in the mix as well at the season finale?
Two races will decide the very first winner of the Northern Talent Cup as we head south to the Automotodrom Brno, so keep up to date across social media, on northerntalentcup.com and motogp.com. The first race is on Sunday at 9:45 (GMT +2), before the final showdown of the season at 16:15!