Oceania Junior Cup class of 2025 and race calendar
The bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) will continue to unearth circuit racing stars in 2025, with 20 riders to compete in the FIM-backed and Dorna Sports-endorsed Road to MotoGP pathways program.
The expanded OJC roster – hailing from all parts of Australia as well as New Zealand – includes 12 rookies, while the balance is returning to the academy which provides young riders with everything they need: identical Yamaha YZF-R15s, Shark helmets, Ricondi riding gear and high-level coaching support led by former 500 GP race winner Garry McCoy.
The 2025 OJC season will commence under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park on March 28-29 before visiting Queensland Raceway (May 2-4) and Morgan Park Raceway (June 13-15) – all in conjunction with the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK).
The OJC riders will also venture to One Raceway (October 3-5) and The Bend (November 7-9), with one round’s date and location still to be announced.
The 2024 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup riders battle for supremacy. Image: RbMotoLens
The 2025 OJC line-up is as follows:
New riders
• Callum Campbell, NSW
• Chaz Williams, Qld
• Finn Mellerick, Vic
• Ghage Plowman, SA
• Leo Darling, WA
• Liam Fookes, NT
• Orlando Peovitis, WA
• Thomas Cameron, NSW
• Xavier Curmi, NSW
• Charlie Nichols, NSW
• Stevie Middlebook, WA
• Krue Knight, Vic
Returning riders
• Adam Jordan, NSW
• Ethan Pelgrave, Qld
• Jed Louis, NSW
• Connor Lewis, NSW
• Hunter Charlett, NZ
• Phoenix O’Brien, Vic
• Rossi McAdam, WA
• Jai Strugnell, SA
OJC head coach Garry McCoy chats to the 2025 riders at Winton Raceway
The OJC, which has official Australian Junior Road Race Championship status, is aimed at developing Oceania’s next circuit racing stars – and, as demonstrated in recent years, it is delivering in spades.
To further underscore the developmental credentials of the OJC, last year’s champion Hunter Corney also competed as a wildcard in the final round of the 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship at The Bend, embracing the challenge with round-winning first and second placings on a Yamaha YZF-R3.
Light lifting: Ty Lynch demonstrates the best way to pick up a YZF-R15
The 2025 OJC riders recently completed a two-day training camp at Winton Motor Raceway on a fleet of brand new YZF-R15s, where McCoy was joined by Ty Lynch and Archie McDonald in an expanded coaching team.
Lynch (Superbike) and McDonald (Supersport) are still actively competing in the ASBK Championship, adding a real-time perspective to their tuition, while McDonald will also take on a broader ambassadorial role.
McDonald was a founding member of the OJC in 2019, with his opposition including current Moto3 rider Jacob Roulstone, AMA dirt track star Tom Drane, JuniorGP World Championship campaigner Marianos Nikolis and Carter Thompson, who will compete in both the 2025 Red Bull Rookies Cup and Supersport 300 World Championship.
