Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup 2018 selection begins
It’s time for young riders from Asia, Australia and New Zealand who have decided to follow their passion into racing to sign up on the first path that could one day lead to the MotoGP World Championship.
The selection process for the 2018 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup has begun! Online registration on the official website of the Championship welcomes all forms of applicants who meet the requirements of the promoter to apply for a chance to be a part of the Selection Event, which will take place at Sepang International Circuit on the 24th and 25th October 2017. The registration period ends on August 13th.
The races so far this season – in Thailand, Qatar and Japan – have been an incredible display of the best of the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, with fierce competition at the top. Mechanical equality is key – the field all ride the Honda NSF250R Moto3 bike, allowing the riders to show their best on an equal footing. That’s what makes the Asia Talent Cup the ideal stage to develop as a rider, allowing the young Champions of tomorrow to showcase the best of their talent with mechanical parity.
The Asia Talent Cup has already run for four seasons and throughout this time has proven an effective way to help young riders to develop, grow athletically and mature as people. A key role in the selection process is reserved for Alberto Puig, a former Grand Prix racer, whose knowledge has helped him uncover such talents as Casey Stoner, Toni Elias and Dani Pedrosa.
Puig is also responsible for the Asia Talent Team, which consists of five emerging riders from the Asia Talent Cup who compete in this year’s Moto3 Junior World Championship. This season, that includes 2016 Asia Talent Cup winner Somkiat Chantra, who clinched the title in an exciting final Asia Talent Cup race in Sepang last year, beating Andi Izdihar and Ai Ogura. Chantra is the first Thai rider to take the Asia Talent Cup title. Izdihar and Ogura are also part of the team, alongside Japanese rider Kazuki Masaki.
Three riders from last year’s Asia Talent Team have also stepped up to the Moto3 class of the MotoGP World Championship in 2017: Kaito Toba (2014 ATC champion) and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat with Honda Team Asia, and Ayumu Sasaki (2015 ATC champion) with SIC Racing Team.
The selection process to fill the 2018 championship grid has begun. A key date in the process is the Selection Event in Sepang on October 24 and 25.
Registration opened on July 8, 2017 (online at www.asiatalentcup.com) with a closing date for entries of August 13, 2017. Publication of the rider list for the selection event will take place
September 7 so stay tuned. The selection event itself will be held from 24 to 25 October 2017 at Sepang International Circuit.
