The drama and excitement of Races 9 and 10 of the 2022 Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup season will have a lot to say about the destiny of the trophy. The circuit offers spectacular beauty and fabulously intense competition. The home GP for both KTM and Red Bull, every turn is a challenge and the last two corners are where big hearts and fabulous skill produce awesome results.
José Rueda leads Collin Veijer by just 10 points at the head of the table and while the 16-year-old Spaniard and 17-year-old Dutchman may well battle it out to the final weekend in Valencia the rest of the pack need to get back on terms now.
Most wins
The leading pair have 5 podiums apiece but Rueda has the edge in wins, 3 to 2. Veijer has the advantage of making his 3rd visit to the Red Bull Ring but learning circuits does not seem to have caused Rueda too much stress in his debut season. All the riders have the new chicane section to learn.
Third in the points chase is Màx Quiles, 54 adrift from the lead but the Spanish 14-year-old has already shown that he knows how to score big with two wins to his name. 6 remaining races mean 150 points on offer so the gap can be closed but that has to start this weekend.
Luca Lunetta is 4th and the Italian 16-year-old is a further 8 behind, just 1 ahead of Spanish 15-year-old Angel Piqueras who was the victor last time out at the Sachsenring. 4th to 10 are covered by just 16 points so Harrison Voight, the 15-year-old Australian, is 10th and could still win the Cup.
Has to be done
Those hopes get rapidly thinner if Rueda and Veijer's advantage is not eaten into in Austria. So Casey O'Gorman, the Irish 15-year-old, has to do even better than the 2nd and 3rd he started the season with. Similarly, Italian 17-year-old Filippo Farioli scored a 2nd in Mugello and a 3rd at the Sachsenring. Tatchakorn Buasri was a podium man in Mugello, with the 21-year-old Thai going 2-3. 14-year-old Fin Rico Salmela has a 3rd from Race 1 in Italy.
That makes 6 riders with podiums but as yet no race wins. If any of them can shift gear and get on the top step then Rookies Cup history can change course. But time, and races, are running out.