After the fatal accidents that occurred in more than one category in 2021, FIM and Dorna acted, instituting a new minimum age of 18 for a rider to enter the world championships – in any class.
For some, the measure was right in favor of safety. However, its effects can also be less positive – especially for structures that develop young riders, such as Aspar.
In statements to the site SPEEDWEEK.com, its owner, Jorge Martínez Aspar, admitted that the minimum age complicates his project: ‘The fact that young riders can only enter the Moto3 World Championship at 18 instead of 16 is a big problem. Because in Spain we have a huge reservoir of motorcycle talents who are 10, 11, 12 years old. As a team, we are investing a lot, a lot of money in these boys to put them in the World Championship. But now they have to wait two more years than in the past to enter the GPs… that is very bad for my program‘.
Leaving the riders in the FIM JuniorGP for several seasons is not a viable option, according to the Spanish: ‘I can’t let talents compete in the JuniorGP for years. There, sponsors pay much less money. That is impossible. After all, there are also big teams competing in the European Talent Cup‘.
