The second ever season of the British Talent Cup is about to get underway, with Valencia the venue and the grid of 23 riders raring to go for a two-day test. After the first year of competition saw plenty close racing, the stage is set for another season and with reigning Champion Rory Skinner, runner up Thomas Strudwick and third-placed Max Cook all racing elsewhere – Cook in the Junior Talent Team on the Road to MotoGP™ – there’s plenty to play for.
21 Brits are joined by two Irishmen on the grid in 2019, with ten of the competitors rookies and looking to make an impression. They’ll have their work cut out as plenty of those who return to race this season have top records and made some serious progress last year. Brian Hart is the returner who finished 2018 the best in the standings, taking fifth overall, ahead of Cameron Horsman and Jack Nixon, both of whom also race once again this season. Fenton Seabright is another who had some top results last year, including an incredible podium from a pitlane start. The veterans will surely be out in force to top the first track action of 2019, but can the 10 rookies hit the ground running?
The Circuit Ricardo Tormo is a good place to find out, with nine left- and five right-handers ready to put the grid through their paces and let the rookies get a good taste of what’s to come in terms of both their machinery and the competition. It may not tell us the whole story, however, with the calendar sure to mix it up at Brno, Donington, Silverstone and Snetterton – each with their own very different challenges.