How old is too old for a racing career?
With Stephanie Redman
When it comes to a child trying to forge a career in motorcycle sport, there are many barriers that both parents and children will face, but age is not high on the list.
“Age is against us,” I’ve heard this, or something similar many times over the years and for me, the idea that a 15 or 16-year-old child is already getting ‘too old’ is a common misconception we have here in Australia.
The minimum and maximum ages for world championship classes as of 2023 are:
- MotoGP World Championship
- Moto3 – Minimum 18, maximum 28
- Moto2 – Minimum 18, maximum 50
- MotoGP – Minimum 18, Maximum 50
- FIM Superbike World Championship
- World Supersport 300 – Minimum 16, maximum 28
- World Supersport 600 – Minimum 18, maximum 50
- World Superbike – Minimum 18, Maximum 50
These minimum ages were recently revised and increased in reaction to a series of tragic events that happened these past years. Likewise the entry age for supporting series such as Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the FIM JuniorGP World Championship has also been increased.
While this has made it difficult for some of those riders currently already on the ‘Road to MotoGP’, I believe it is a step in the right direction.
I’ve seen many extremely talented young riders spat out the back of international competition, simply because they took the leap too soon. A lot of the pressure to do this comes from the idea that younger is better.
It is easy too look at the ‘rookie sensations’ and believe that our kids need to achieve the same successes in a similar time period, however if you look at the average age in each class it is quite a few years above the minimum age. A 20-year-old in Moto3 is not unusual, neither is a 23-year-old in Supersport 600, the main thing is having the skillset to get there.
There is a more to a rider being successful than just being fast. There are so many talented riders these days and it seems the days of relying on that talent alone are gone.
If you look at most international championships and even our own Australian Superbike Championship, there is an abundance of naturally gifted riders, so in order to shine a rider needs to be not just talented, but also smart and resilient.
Racing overseas is a tough gig, it’s usually a new bike and tracks to learn while working with a team whose first language isn’t English. Different living conditions, new foods and being away from family, all while dealing with the pressures of competing in one of the most difficult, fast paced sports in the world.
This is hard even for an adult to make work, and while I’ve seen kids handle this well beyond their years, throwing them in the deep end too early can definitely push them towards failure.
Working one-on-one with juniors over the years, I would say it’s an even balance, 50 per cent on riding technique/strategy and 50 per cent them as a human. There are lot of life skills these kids need that really only come with age and experience.
Whether it’s teaching them how to turn feelings into words, build relationships with people they don’t necessarily get on with, or setting goals and managing expectations, there is so many things we work through outside of the motorcycle itself. Because you are addressing both the professional (racing) and personal side of a rider it can be a lot for them. Some will take it as constructive and others as criticism.
For me, age is less important than it is for the child to be ready. The maturity they gain between 14-17 years of age is immeasurable and I believe allowing these years for development, whether that’s here or abroad, will yield much better long-term results.
Everyone grows and learns differently and at different rates, and only those closest will be able to know where they are truly at. Sending them off as soon as they meet the minimum age may work, but if you look at history, it suggests the odds are slim.
Will they gain experience and grow by going overseas early? Of course, they will learn more in 12 months overseas than they will in years back here in Australia. But will they make a career of it and get a free ride in one or even two years, most likely not.
I am all for kids going overseas early, if they have multiple years to learn and grow, their young teen years are like an apprenticeship. So in this sink or swim environment, if you’re hinging everything on that one or two years of overseas riding, worry less about the age, and focus more on making sure your child is as ready as can be before you take the leap.
