Team Suzuki Press Office – May 6.
India’s Suzuki GIXXER Cup Championship will now run with a new event this year, the ‘Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, to give 13-17-year-olds a chance to progress to the top-level of motorcycle competition.
Suzuki Motorcycle India PVT Ltd. (SMIPL) announced this week that this season’s five-round GIXXER Cup will also feature qualifiers at each event for the MotoGP™ series that is now in its 10th year.
The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup was announced by Malaysian Super Series Champion and Chennai-based motorcycle racer Rajini Krishnan, together with Lithuanian stunt-rider and two-time European stunt-riding Champion Aras Gibieza this week.
Krishnan, who is also the mentor for the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, said: “Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup is going to be of huge help to the young riders. It is a first time ever that we’ll have a category in this sport for the 13-17 age group in India. This is going to help Indian racers to be a part of the MotoGP™ programme overall: In India, all riders start after the age of 20. I myself started racing at 20 as you only get your license at 18, unlike Spanish and Italian kids, who start at the age of five and have dedicated schools for training. I am hopeful that the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup will change things in the motorsport scene within India.”
“Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup comes as a great news for Indian racers. This is my third visit to the country in the last two years and I can comfortably say that it’s now time we had a category for this age group,” said Aras Gibieza who is currently in the country as a part of his nine-city Suzuki Gixxer Day Tour.
The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup adds another feather in the cap of the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, by being the first platform of its kind in India that will provide young and upcoming racers a real launch pad into the world of international racing, allowing them to lead-up to the Rookies Cup, Moto3 and from there, eventually Moto2 and ultimately the MotoGP™ World Championship.
Suzuki Motorcycle India is pleased with its mutual partnership with Red Bull in this endeavor and is committed to giving this new and exciting project its best.
Said Satoshi Uchida, Managing Director, SMIPL: “We saw a hugely positive response after entering the Indian racing arena last year and clearly felt the need to improve upon the laurels from our first season of the Gixxer Cup. This year, we bring Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup, a world-renowned platform, to the young Indian riders for the first time, while sticking to the Gixxer Cup format alongside. We can’t wait for the season of exciting racing to begin!”
