Ahead of the 2017 season, Dorna and Red Bull announced a talent promotion program to support at least one of the top five riders from the European Talent Cup to move into the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship or the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2018. This year, the chosen rider is Simon Jespersen.
Jespersen put together an impressive season in the ETC in 2017 that saw him take the first win of the year and fight for the Championship, ending the year in fifth overall but only 32 points off the top. Now, the 16-year-old from Copenhagen is getting ready for a new challenge as he gears up to take on the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2018.
2018 will also see the same opportunity offered to competitors in the European Talent Cup, with Dorna and Red Bull once more joining forces to give another talent in the ETC – this season, regardless of position – the chance to move into the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.