Red Bull Rookies Cup
Ready to discover where champions are made? Meet the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup's inner circle – the elite squad helping young motorcycle racing talents develop into future stars.
There’s a small team of people who have a huge influence over the future stars of motorcycle racing. They are the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup's inner circle. From physical and psychological support to technical coaching and even a rider's first media training experience, nowhere else in motorsport has the school vibe while bringing through the next generation of racers like the Rookies Cup.
Born Racers, the six-part documentary series captures the highs and lows of life in the 'MotoGP™ Academy. We meet the key proteges of the 2023 series, along with those who guide them through their journey from hopeful young talents to professional riders.
That's quite the responsibility, given that over 50 percent of all Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup riders in the last 18 years have gone on to make a race start in world championship racing. For context, there are anywhere between 80 and 90 riders across the three categories – MotoGP,™ Moto2™ and Moto3™ – competing every year. That's hundreds of competitors across two decades of the series' existence.
The coaches: Gustl and Dani
Gustl Auinger is one of two in that inner circle who's been part of the Cup since its 2007 inception. A winner of multiple Grands Prix in the '70s and '80s, Auinger has coached many of the biggest stars of motorcycle racing we see in action today.
"The Rookies Cup has become a huge part of my life," he says. "I used to race a long time ago, so I know very well what these young riders are looking for and what they want to know."
"Gustl doesn't like to say that he's a mental coach, but I think he works very well on that side of things," says Dani Ribalta, Auinger's fellow Rider Coach.
Who decides the fate of the young riders?
Ribalta and Auinger, along with head of Rider Development and laed TV commentator Peter Clifford, are the trio we meet in Born Racers who decide the fate of riders' participation in the cup every year.
Auinger spends much of his time observing the riders, evaluating their performance on track and seeing how they operate off the bike. A key part of his weekend are the group pep talks he gives ahead of each day.
"I like these briefings because we want to make sure everyone gets the same information," he explains. "There are no secrets in the Rookies Cup, we all work for the same target and goal."
The friendly face in times of crisis: Anna
While Auinger's role helps riders manage their emotions, there’s another individual who helps them understand andnavigate the cultural side of world-level racing – Anna Pagès García, the Cup Coordinator.
"I'm the person who combines the technical team like mechanics and engineers with the Red Bull marketing and organisational team," she explains.
Before each event, that consists of organising travel for all the technical staff and making sure everyone has everything they need to do their job. Once the riders hit the track, her role becomes even more vital to the running of the Cup, as she's the main point of contact between race direction and the technical team.
In the event of a crash, I have my own radio line to Race Direction
"In the event of a crash, I have my own radio line to Race Direction and I inform the technical team. When the rider receives a penalty, I transmit that as well," she chuckles.
Two of the most frustrating moments in a rider’s weekend – a crash or a penalty - require a friendly face to help calm the situation. That’s Pagès García, here, there and everywhere.
On the rare occasion the rider needs a visit to the medical centre: "Such situations can be stressful for the rider and, of course, their parents, so I have to be the calming figure present to make sure everyone has what they need at that time."
These moments are part and parcel of life as a motorcycle racer and where the Rookies learn responsibility annd interact with the professionals there to take care of them on and off the circuit.
Pagès García worked with the Marquez brothers from 2013 to 2017, helping them with communications and their commercial and licensing teams, so it’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about the non-riding requirements that face professional racers.
She’s worked with two of the best at the peak of their careers, so helping riders at the other end is a completely different kettle of fish, but just as rewarding: "To help teach them the values they’ll need to succeed, there’s nothing better than that."
What Pagés García Auinger teach the riders goes directly in hand with lessons from the other Rookies Cup rider coach, Dani Ribalta.
He’s another former pro at Spanish national and continental level, whose career was only stunted by lacking the financial means to make it to the world championship. However, he became a wizard of supermoto and dirt track racing – and to this day rubs elbows with the brightest stars of the sport in those disciplines.
"I try to be more direct with my advice to the riders, as working with 26 of them, I can't spend two hours a day helping each one", he says. "Sometimes it's a bit strong, but I can’t waste my time… or theirs!"
During sessions, Ribalta darts around different points on the circuit, taking notes of what aspects of riding the Rookies need to improve on, before high-tailing it back to debrief with them all before the next session.
I try to be more direct with my advice to the riders. I can’t waste my time… or theirs
While Auingert will tell a rider mind tricks to find peak performance, Ribalta will correct them on which gear to engage before a corner or whether they need to open the throttle sooner. This combination of advice is what takes riders from running 30 seconds off the back of the pack, to fighting for race wins in just two years.
Ribalta explains: "For me, Cormac Buchanan is the best example. When he came to the Rookies Cup, his level was so low, from the riding to the fitness, but he challenged himself and we tried to help him and give him that time and experience. He thought and acted during his second year to improve his training between races and you could see the progression. He’s now a podium finisher in JuniorGP Moto3."
"My job is a big responsibility”, he continues. “Each year, I try to help create a good environment in the tent, teaching the riders respectful values with each other on the track and giving them all the same level of service. There’s the same opportunity to perform, leaving the only difference in results down to the rider.”
The top performers become podium finishers and get to see our next inner circle member in Parc Fermé - Rookies Cup reporter and content creator, Dominika Grnova.
"I get emotional every single time they reach Parc Fermé, for both the riders that are happy or disappointed - they win or lose by milliseconds and it means everything to them," she says.
Pedro Acosta, David Alonso, Jose Rueda, Collin Veijer and, more recently, Angel Piqueras are all Rookies graduates and future stars of MotoGP™ who learned the ropes of social media content and talking on camera for the first time in their post-race interviews with Grnova.
Everyone gets to know the riders at the top of their game in the world championships, but few see the personal side in their early successes that get them to that point. Grnova is one of those lucky people. "What I love the most is that I get to learn every day from these 26 young professionals. As a motorcyclist myself, there's nothing cooler than being so involved up close and personal with a racing series.”
The final figure is the one that gets to call them across that finish line, as well as having key say in which riders are invited back for the following year - lead commentator, Peter Clifford.
“My Dad was a trackside commentator, so I helped him out with that from the age of 16," he recalls. “I got into journalism and became technical editor of Motorcycle Weekly magazine, which led me to testing GP level bikes for features."
Along with Auinger, 'PC' has been with Rookies since the start. His links with organisers from the days when he ran Red Bull Yamaha in the 500cc World Championship back in the late '90s andd early 2000s meant he was the perfect person for heading up rider development.
"We didn't invent the idea of a one-make series like this," he stresses. “But it’s the combo of Red Bull, Dorna and KTM, who saw the need to develop young talent directly within the framework of MotoGP™… 18 years on and we believe it's been a success!"
On his day-to-day work for the Cup, he says: "I'm very privileged to work closely with Dani and Gustl, who work and talk with the riders every weekend. I liaise with them when it comes to seeing how they’re going throughout the year to help us make decisions on who continues the following year."
Both Ribalta and Auinger agree that the success of the Cup comes down to its affordability and, of course, the Selection Event being the main way riders from any walk of life can showcase their skills for a spot on the grid each year.
As for the commentary, that’s just the icing on the cake: "I feel like it's as if I'm talking to my mates at home, showing them how much fun we’re having and what a great thing it is to watch. It's got to be the easiest thing to commentate on in the world, as there's never a dull moment."