Van Eerde Scores 2018 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Ride

The 12th Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season will start next year in Jerez  at the Spanish Grand Prix with some of this year’s applicants taking a big step towards their dream of World Championship glory. Australian, Billy Van Eerde make it through the selection process to be nominated as a Red Bull MotoGP Rookie in 2018. Van Eerde also recently took out the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli’s (ASBK) ‘Over’ 300’s Championship.

From around the world, 109 riders from 31 nations, from Russia to Laos, from Argentina and India to Austria, the best young road race riders have been invited to assemble, as they do every year, for three days of track action. Split into two lists, one for Tuesday October 17th and one for Wednesday October 18th, each rider had the chance to show their abilities. From 109 riders invited for the opening two days, 49 made it to the final day and Thursday dawned cold and soaking wet. A smaller list was then compiled of those who would be invited back for more track time on Thursday October 19th.

This year alone, more than half the Moto3 World Championship grid has been made up of ex Rookies and at times they have packed the podium places. At the end of the three days a much smaller list of around ten riders will be invited to join the Rookies Cup for 2018 to race the KTM RC 250 R’s alongside those remaining from last season.

A complete mix of conditions over three intensely competitive days in Almeria (Spain) produced ten young riders who are now invited to join the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2018.

After the very testing wet morning sessions the circuit dried for the afternoon with another chance for the young riders to show their abilities. 15-year-old, Van Eerde made it through the intensive selection process to be named one of ten new riders to join the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2018.

Billy is a young star of the Dirt Track scene in Australia, hailing from Singleton (NSW) but moved north to Townsville with his family in 2015. Van Eerde then started his gradual transition to the tarmac, and this year’s hotly contested ASBK’s Hi-Tec Batteries Supersport 300 ‘Over’ class on a KTM RC 390.

Van Eerde:
“It was a great event here in Almeria, Spain, for the Redbull rookies selection event. There were 109 riders from many different countries. The first day was a dry session, followed by a wet session and I managed to do enough to make it though to the third day of the event.”

Invited Australian Riders included in the 109 from around the world:
Ned Faulkhead (Australia)
Joel Kelso (Australia)
Billy Van Eerde (Australia)

Riders invited to join the 2018 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Billy Van Eerde (Australia)
Pasquale Alfano (Italy)
Barry Baltus (Belgium)
Max Cook (Great Britain)
Jason Philippe Dupasquier (Switzerland)
Nicolas Hernandez (Colombia)
Adrian Huertas Del Olmo (Spain)
Aidan Liebenberg (South Africa)
Matteo Patacca (Italy)
Carlos Tatay (Spain)

Check out the Red Bull Rookies GP Cup Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/redbullrookiescup/

Photo credit: TBG I Photography Andrew Gosling
and Red Bull Rookies GP Cup