BTC: Dorna lay out plans for new young talent series

Dorna have laid out their plans for the new British Talent Cup series that will get underway during the 2018 season in a double-header event in London that also saw the MotoGP organisers launch the series’ ultimate prize – the new Moto3 world championship British Talent Honda team.

The exact format of the new series is still to be confirmed, but the championship will almost certainly run alongside the British rounds of both World Superbikes at Donington Park and MotoGP at Silverstone, plus also potentially with a number of other races alongside MCE British Superbikes at tracks like Snetterton and even Assen, the home of the Dutch TT, as they aim to teach riders how to ride on Grand Prix style tracks.

Selection for the new class will be open to racers from the UK and Republic of Ireland and born between 2001 and 2005, but series talent scout and former Grand Prix winner Jeremy McWilliams was keen to stress at the launch that It’s not limited only to track riders but also to those with an off-road background. A number of racers have come straight from motocross to circuit racing in recent years and proven to be instantly competitive, including double World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea.

The youngsters will have a chance to prove their worth later this year, with applications opening in early May and closing again in July before an on-track assessment is held at Silverstone’s Stowe circuit in the week leading up to the British Grand Prix in late August.

For us we want to bring to the British riders the chance to race in this system. For one, it will teach them and give them the patience they need to succeed, and secondly it will help them progress. Motorsport is expensive, and we want to try and help them with that. The people who participate in it will have a future, but it is a lot of work to get your dream – and it’s important for us to help them do that.

And, perhaps more importantly, Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta gave an important pledge at the launch event last week – that participation in the series will be free of charge as they work to help develop racing in the UK.

“We have a lot of respect for what is happening in Britain, but we want to add to that. Together with the circuits, especially with the fans we want to increase the number of British people watching racing and leading the championship. We don’t want to come back to where it used to be where British racers dominated, but we want to give them the chance.”