Manuel Gonzalez first made his name at just 15 years old when he won the European Talent Cup. He then joined WorldSSP300 full-time in 2018. After a somewhat problematic start, he took off in the last three rounds achieving three consecutive podiums, all in third position. In 2019, he was recruited by the Kawasaki ParkinGO team and the change of bike turned out to be the trigger for a season in which he made history by becoming the youngest World Champion in motorcycling road racing after picking up three victories and a total of six podiums. A stunning 2020 season in WorldSSP saw the rookie finish every single race inside the top ten, which he backed up further in 2021 by taking his first two victories in the class following a switch to Yamaha. A further five podiums helped him seal third in the standings and a move across to the Moto2™ World Championship in 2022 within the then brand-new Yamaha Academy team. Throughout his rookie campaign, Gonzalez showed plenty of encouraging signs that he cut it on the World Championship stage, with three consecutive top six finishes to close out the campaign the highlight. He aspired to achieve even more in 2023, and he was successful. After a consistent run of P5s, the Spaniard claimed a fantastic second place in Qatar, his best result in the category. Eighth in the World Championship, the Madrid native will ride for QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™ in 2024.