Tag Archives: Billy Van Eerde

P7 for Van Eerde at Red Bull Ring Rookies

2020 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

Round 1 – Grand Prix von Österreich – Spielberg

Images by Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool


Australian Billy van Eerde kicked off his 2020 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup campaign over the weekend with Round 1 held alongside the Grand Prix von Österreich, in Spielberg, as riders took to the track for the first time in anger.

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies back on track in Austria
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies back on track in Austria

Friday’s qualifying saw less than 1.5 seconds separate the top 20 riders, with van Eerde qualifying 20th, 1.289s off leading pace, with Daniel Munoz claiming top honours, ahead of Alex Escrig and Pedro Acosta.


Race 1

Saturday saw the first race of the season commence, with Pedro Acosta moving into contention from third on the grid, to fight to keep his KTM RC 250 R on track ahead of countrymen David Muñoz and Daniel Holgado, with the top 15 all in with a chance in the early stages of the race.

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies kicked off racing on Saturday
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies kicked off racing on Saturday

As the 17 lap race came to a close, Acosta had managed to take the lead on numerous occasions but could never get clear away, with it all coming down to the final two corners of the Red Bull Ring. Last year’s Race 1 winner Acosta knew what he had to do, managing the last lap perfectly with a ten-man lead battle becoming just three with a chance of victory.

Acosta held the tiniest advantage over Muñoz, with Holgado hoping they would make a mistake. It almost happened but at the last corner Acosta wrestled his bike off the green and stayed in front of Muñoz for the win. Daniel Holgado completed the top three, while David Alonso and David Salvador were fourth and fifth.

Pedro Acosta claimed the Race 1 win - Red Bull MotoGP Rookies
Pedro Acosta claimed the Race 1 win – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies

Billy van Eerde improved on his qualifying result to bring home fifteen, earning a valuable championship point, and finishing 8.844 seconds off the race winner. The race saw him battling Collin Veijer for fourteenth with just 0.08s separating them at the finish line.

Billy van Eerde had a tough race one, claiming a single championship point
Billy van Eerde had a tough race one, claiming a single championship point
Pedro Acosta

“It was an incredible race, I was so thrilled to feel how much better the bike was than in Qualifying, the guys did a brilliant job. I must say I was worried before the race when we couldn’t get the bike started, that was tense but my mechanic got it going and it was fantastic. I enjoyed the race so much, a great pleasure after the frustrations of yesterday.”


Race 2

Sunday’s Race 2 proved similar to the opening race of the season as Acosta, Munoz, Holgado and Alonso fought it out for the top positions. Billy van Eerde was well in the mix as well, this time just 1.724s off leading pace, in the secondary group just off the top five.

Pedro Acosta proved a dominant force in Austria
Pedro Acosta proved a dominant force in Austria

It was a huge lead group for much of the race, just three-seconds covering the top 16 even into the second half of the 17 laps. No one came close to breaking away, while Acosta ran in the top handful the entire time and put in the perfect last lap.

The all-Spanish podium was repeated and 16-year-old Acosta drew on his season of Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup experience to hold the narrowest advantage over five newbies finishing behind him.

Pedro Acosta couldn't lose the pack, but still secured both wins
Pedro Acosta couldn’t lose the pack, but still secured both wins

Alcosta took the win from David Munoz, with Holgado completing the podium, while Alonso and Daniel Munoz were fourth and fifth. Ivan Ortolo was just 0.112 ahead of Billy Van Eerde to the line, while Zonta Van Den Goorb and Matteo Bertelle were all in the battle for sixth through ninth.

Van Eerde finished seventh to claim nine championship points, for 10-total for the weekend, leaving him places 12th in the standings on equal points to Ivan Ortola. Just five-points separate fifth from 12th.

A strong finish by Billy van Eerde saw him seventh in Race 2
A strong finish by Billy van Eerde saw him seventh in Race 2

Pedro Acosta holds the current championship lead on 50-points, from David Munoz (40), Daniel Holgado (32), David Alonso (26) and Zonta Van Den Goorb (15).

Pedro Acosta

“I said to myself as I took the lead that I had to make the perfect lap under control. But you know in this level of racing nothing is completely under control. I had to push it to the maximum, push it 100% and I did that. It is a great feeling to do the double here especially as the level of the Cup is so high this year.”

Pedro Acosta topped the podium for both races - Red Bull MotoGP Rookies
Pedro Acosta topped the podium for both races with David Munoz and Daniel Holgado claiming the minor positions – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies

2020 Red Bull Rookies – Round 1 Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Joel Kelso fifth in Valencia as 2019 FIM CEV Repsol concludes

2019 FIM CEV Repsol

Round Eight – Valencia


Jeremy Alcoba has been crowned champion of the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship in the best way possible, winning the first of the two races at Valencia, with Carlos Tatay claiming the second win.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd FIM CEV Repsol Champions
Jeremy Alcoba Moto3 Champion, Edgar Pons Moto2 Champ, Izan Guevara – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

Aussie Billy Van Eerde, meanwhile, ended a tough season in the class with two solid finishes. The Aussie was outside the top 20 but in a group battle in Race 1, and in Race 2 was knocking on the door to some points.

Just 0.115 separated him from fifteenth, with the number 29 forced to settle for P16 – but in a deep field, that’s a solid showing for the youngster after his swift rise from the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Moto Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

In the Moto2 European Championship, Edgar Pons also said goodbye to the FIM CEV Repsol with a victory.

In the European Talent Cup, Iván Ortolá finished the season as he began in Estoril, with a win, while Joel Kelso raced to his strongest result of the season in fifth, claiming nine championship points and moving up to 17th in the overall standings.


Moto3 Junior World Championship

Jeremy Alcoba didnt waste his first chance at the title, beating José Julián García – who took his first podium of the season – and Aleix Viu in the opening race.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Moto Start
Moto3 Race Start – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

It was an exciting race, with a leading group of up to 15 riders. A number of riders shared the lead, such as Daniel Holgado, Ryusei Yamanaka and Carlos Tatay, among others.

With two laps to go, a touch between Daniel Holgado and David Salvador left them out of options for a podium place, and allowed Aleix Viu to make the most of a great comeback, paving the way for José Julián García to take third after a race spent as part of the leading group. Jeremy Alcoba received the Repsol free fuel cheque as a result.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Moto Race Barry Baltus
Moto3 – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

Aussie Billy Van Eerde finished Race 1 in 28th, having claimed 20th and 15th in the two qualifying sessions.

In the second FIM Moto3 race Carlos Tatay took another victory, his fourth of the season. Barry Baltus joined him on the podium, along with Adrián Fernández, achieving his first podium in the category.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Moto Start
Moto3 Race Start – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

Once again Davide Pizzoli started poorly from pole, losing so many positions that in an effort to make up lost ground he went down on the fifth lap along with Julián Giral.

Ahead, Carlos Tatay pulled clear followed by a large group led by Barry Baltus. Aleix Viu, David Salvador and José Julián García were involved in a multiple fall which decimated the chasing group. In the end, Carlos Tatay won alone, followed by Barry Baltus and Adrián Fernández. Carlos Tatay received the Repsol free fuel cheque.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Moto Race Adrian Fernandez
Moto3 – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

Billy Van Eerde improved on his Race 1 placing to claim 16th in Race 2, just missing out on the points.

Billy Van Eerde

“2019 season is now finished. Thank you to the whole Junior Talent Team squad for this amazing year! It was a very difficult year for me but you have supported me throughout all, I’m thankful for this opportunity and will come back next year stronger than before!”

The final classification of the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship saw Jeremy Alcoba as champion, Carlos Tatay runner-up and Xavier Artigas in third.

FIM CEV Repsol Valencia Rnd Podium Moto Race
Moto3 Race 2 Podium – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Round 8 – Valencia

Moto3 Junior World Championship Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

FIM CEV Repsol Moto2/Moto3/ETC round-up from Albacete

2019 FIM CEV Repsol

Round Seven – Albacete

Edgar Pons crowned Moto2 European Champion in Albacete

Circuito de Albacete staged Round Seven of the FIM CEV Repsol series over the weekend. Edgar Pons claimed the Moto2 European Championship while Jeremy Alcoba extended his lead in the Moto3 Junior class, and now requires only five-points to claim the title.

FIM CEV Repsol Rnd Albacete Edgar Pons Moto Champion
Edgar Pons – 2019 FIM CEV Repsole – Round 7, Circuito de Albacete

The result mirrored Edgar Pons’ domination of the Moto2 class at the previous Jerez round. Carlos Tatay couldn’t maintain his winning streak from Jerez which had brought him closer to leader Alcoba in the Moto3 class.

For Aussie Asia Talent Team rider Billy Van Eerde in the Moto3 class the misfortune continued at Albacete, with another DNF result and only three laps completed. The previous round in Jerez saw Van Eerde card a P18 finish in Race 1, but a DNF in Race 2.

FIM CEV Repsol Rnd Albacete Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – 2019 FIM CEV Repsol – Round 7, Circuito de Albacete

In the European Talent Cup José Antonio took his first win of the season, while Australian Joel Kelso (Leopard Impala) finished seventh. Kelso sat just outside the top 10 at the previous round in Jerez – which marked his entry to the championship, taking P12 and P11 in the two races held there. He now holds 18 championship points and is 19th in the standings.

The eighth and final round of the FIM CEV Repsol season will take place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia on November 10.


CEV Moto3 Junior

FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship leader Jeremy Alcoba took his second victory of the season in the single hotly disputed Moto3 race over the weekend. The Laglisse Academy rider had his first shot at the title and initially led the race closely trailed by a large group which included Barry Baltus, Carlos Tatay, Ryusei Yamanaka, Deniz Öncü and Daniel Holgado.

FIM CEV Repsol Rnd Albacete Moto
FIM Moto3 Juniors – 2019 FIM CEV Repsole – Round 7, Circuito de Albacete

Carlos Tatay, Jeremy Alcoba and Ryusei Yamanaka took turns at the head of the race. Behind, Xavier Artigas made a superb comeback, starting off second to last and somehow getting in touch with the chasing group.

On the last lap, Carlos Tatay overshot trying to take the lead from Jeremy Alcoba; in doing so he put himself out of the running and left Daniel Holgado to finish second ahead of Barry Baltus.

However, Carlos Tatay was finally judged third after a one-position penalty against Barry Baltus. Ryusei Yamanaka came in fifth and Xavier Artigas sixth, followed by Deniz Öncü.

FIM CEV Repsol Rnd Albacete Mario Suryo
Mario Suryo – 2019 FIM CEV Repsole – Round 7, Circuito de Albacete

Jeremy Alcoba will go to the final round of the season in Valencia 46 points ahead of Carlos Tatay with 50 points at stake; in other words, five points is all he needs to take the title. The race winner was also awarded the Repsol free fuel cheque.

Aussie Billy Van Eerde recorded a DNF result, only completing three laps, with the rider originally sharing his frustration after qualifying at not being able to put down a fast lap, despite feeling comfortable on the bike, and qualifying in P23 for race day.

FIM CEV Repsol Rnd Albacete Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – 2019 FIM CEV Repsole – Round 7, Circuito de Albacete

Source: MCNews.com.au

Billy van Eerde triumphant in penultimate Red Bull Rookies bout

Billy van Eerde wins Aragon thriller

Advance Australia Fair has not been heard on the Rookies Cup rostrum for a long time but Billy van Eerde continued his remarkable season turn-around with a superb last corner move that bettered Haruki Noguchi, Alex Escrig and Pedro Acosta in Motorland Aragón.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde Noguchi Escrig
Billy van Eerde beat Haruki Noguchi and Alex Escrig to the line

The 17-year-old only qualified 11th and admitted that he had no thoughts of winning going into the race. “I was looking to be racing in the front group,” he explained frankly. “Then mid race I was feeling good on the bike and realised that I could push a bit harder. I kept going and the bike was working a lot better than it did in practice.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde
Billy van Eerde

“On the last lap I concentrated on putting myself in the right place down the back straight to pick up the slipstream and it worked. The guys did a great job with the bike and we are talking about some small changes for race 2 because it is still moving around a bit in the long corners so it could be even better,” explained van Eerde.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde
Billy van Eerde

Only 8-tenths separated the top seven at the chequered flag. 

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde Jack Miller
Billy van Eerde with Jack Miller

That hefty haul of 25-points has promotes Billy up to eighth place in the championship standings. Importantly, it has also moved him to within striking distance of sixth place should he have another really strong performance on Sunday. Considering Billy scored no points in the opening four races in what is only an 11 race series, the youngster is certainly finishing the season with a flourish. 

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde Noguchi Escrig
Billy van Eerde beat Haruki Noguchi and Alex Escrig to the line

18-year-old Japanese rider Noguchi ran him very close but just lost out with a last corner slide. “Yes, it was a great race but the back had been moving around a bit and it slid again at the last corner. Still I enjoyed the race, it was a lot of fun. I’m not upset with myself, I planned to be in that position on the last lap and it all worked but for that slide. We will try again tomorrow,” stated Noguchi.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Lorenzo Fellon Pedro Acosta Haruki Noguchi David Salvador
5 Lorenzo Fellon, 37 Pedro Acosta, 56 Haruki Noguchi & 38 David Salvador

Escrig was thrilled to be on the podium but thought it might be even better. “Down the back straight I had Pedro’s slipstream and as I went past into the lead I thought I was going to win it,” smiled the 15-year-old. “Then Haruki and Noguchi came past like rockets! Still it was a good race. It went well from the start, I took things easy early on then after 5 laps started to attack. The bike was great and we will not make any changes for tomorrow.”

Acosta was Mr. Cool and took an apparently casual approach from 9th on the grid, even more relaxed than his Misano progression which resulted in the brilliant win. “Yes I was cautious early, I didn’t want to risk a crash in the opening laps,” explained the 15-year-old. “Then I worked my way forward until I was third and stayed around there until the end of the race. Then on the last lap I thought, ‘This is your moment’ and I took the lead. I thought I could do it from there but the slipstream and the last corner did not work out. Still I think I did a good race, the bike was good, nothing to change so we will try again tomorrow,” stated Acosta.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Marcos Uriarte Haruki Noguchi Pedro Acosta Barry Baltus
89 Marcos Uriarte, 56 Haruki Noguchi, 37 Pedro Acosta & 7 Barry Baltus

An impressive fifth was Mario Aji and the 15-year-old Indonesian expects more from Sunday. “I concentrated on staying in the top group, that is what I did not manage in Misano. I am getting more experience and I enjoyed the race. We will change the gearing for tomorrow because it was too short and I could not take advantage of the slipstream. That’s going to make quite a difference.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Marcos Uriarte Haruki Noguchi Pedro Acosta Lorenzo Fellon
89 Marcos Uriarte, 56 Haruki Noguchi, 37 Pedro Acosta & 5 Lorenzo Fellon

Cup winner Carlos Tatay has already taken up his Moto3 ride but there were others missing from the result after an unusual number of fallers. David Salvador and Barry Baltus touched and both fell in the heat of the lead battle. Early leader Marcos Uriarte slid off on his own.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Salvador Baltus Fellon
Salvador, Baltus, Fellon

The final 2019 outing for the KTM RC 250 Rs on Sunday gives them one more chance to improve their final championship standing. 


Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Race One Results
Pos RIder Country Time/Gap
1 BILLY VAN EERDE Australia 30m57.794
2 HARUKI NOGUCHI Japan +0.137
3 ALEX ESCRIG Spain +0.262
4 PEDRO ACOSTA Spain +0.284
5 MARIO AJI Indonesia +0.565
6 LORENZO FELLON France +0.646
7 MAX COOK United Kingdom +0.810
8 GABIN PLANQUES France +12.294
9 DAIJIRO SAKO Japan +20.902
10 PHILLIP TONN Germany +39.079
11 NOAH DETTWILER Switzerland +50.201
12 TYLER SCOTT United States +50.253
13 ZONTA VAN DEN GOORBERGH Netherlands +1m26.764
14 AIDAN LIEBENBERG South Africa +1m39.687
NC MARCOS URIARTE Spain +6 laps
NC DAVID SALVADOR Spain +7 laps
NC BARRY BALTUS Belgium +7 laps
NC JASON DUPASQUIER Switzerland +8 laps
NC CLEMENT ROUGE France +8 laps
NC ARTEM MARAEV Russia +11 laps
NC MATTEO BERTELLE Italy +0 lap
Red Bull Rookies Cup Aragon Billy Van Eerde
Billy van Eerde
Red Bull Rookies Cup Points
1 CARLOS TATAY Spain 194
2 PEDRO ACOSTA Spain 153
3 HARUKI NOGUCHI Japan 140
4 YUKI KUNII Japan 109
5 LORENZO FELLON France 103
6 JASON DUPASQUIER Switzerland 96
7 DAVID SALVADOR Spain 95
8 BILLY VAN EERDE Australia 90
9 MAX COOK United Kingdom 79
10 MARCOS URIARTE Spain 65
11 ALEX ESCRIG Spain 54
12 BARRY BALTUS Belgium 52
13 ZONTA VAN DEN GOORBERGH Netherlands 51
14 MATTEO BERTELLE Italy 45
15 GABIN PLANQUES France 42
16 MARIO AJI Indonesia 32
17 ARTEM MARAEV Russia 25
18 CLEMENT ROUGE France 25
19 DAIJIRO SAKO Japan 21
20 ADRIAN HUERTAS Spain 20
21 NICOLAS HERNANDEZ Colombia 15
22 PHILLIP TONN Germany 14
23 TYLER SCOTT United States 9
24 NOAH DETTWILER Switzerland 6
25 AIDAN LIEBENBERG South Africa 4

Source: MCNews.com.au

Tough weekend for Billy Van Eerde at Misano | Red Bull Rookies

Misano


Misano’s single race was a typical superb 10 rider lead battle headed much of the time by Carlos Tatay. The 16-year-old Spaniard kept his cool through the final lap when fellow countrymen Pedro Acosta and David Salvador slipped ahead. The two 15-year-olds flashed across the line together with Acosta getting the verdict by 0.056 seconds.

RedBullRookies Misano Haruki Noguchi Leads
Haruki Noguchi leads

Third place for Carols Tatay was enough to claim the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup title and the 16-year-old knew it. Taty celebrated on the wind-down lap on his KTM RC 250 R and fell into tears in parc fermé as he hugged his mechanic and supporters.

RedBullRookies Misano Carlos Tatay Leads
Carlos Tatay

Carlos Tatay – P3 – 2019 Red Bull Rookies Champin

“From the beginning of the race I was determined not to think about the championship and just to treat it like another race. So I tried to escape but couldn’t, it was impossible. It was a big group and so I waited until five laps to go and tried again to get away. Again I couldn’t so I just prepared myself for the last lap. It was crazy but I managed to do what I needed to and won the Cup.

RedBullRookies Misano Carlos Tatay Champion
Carlos Tatay

“I still can’t believe that I have won, it will take a few days, it has been an unbelievable year. It was my objective from the start of the season but I couldn’t really imagine that it would happen. For me the best race was Mugello, being able to win that way was incredible. The worst race was Race 1 in Austria when I jumped the start. But my manager and my helper supported me then and rebuilt my confidence. I want to thank them, my family and all the Cup staff for a fantastic season.”

RedBullRookies Misano Carlos Tatay Champion Ferme
Carlos Tatay

Tatay had ended the 2018 Cup season fifth and was certainly one of the favourites for this his second season.

In the same way Acosta has impressed in his first year and took his third win in Misano.

RedBullRookies Misano Pedro Acosta
Pedro Acosta

Pedro Acosta – Misano Race Winner

“Though I crashed in Qualifying I knew that I had good pace and that the bike was set up well for the race. I thought to myself on the sighting lap that I just had to play it cool,” explained Acosta. “I got a good start but I didn’t go crazy. I worked into the front and just relaxed there through the race. I was waiting for the end and on the last lap I really pushed. It’s great to get another win and I’m looking forward to Aragon.”

RedBullRookies Misano Pedro Acosta
Pedro Acosta

David Salvador – P2

“I was confident going into the race because after a difficult first practice session we had the bike well sorted for yesterday afternoon. The race was tough because Carlos was very fast and it was a big group of us chasing him. I just put myself in a good position at the end and I am very happy to get another second place in the Rookies Cup.”

RedBullRookies Misano Carlos Tatay Leads
Misano Red Bull Rookies

Haruki Noguchi – P4

“I just didn’t have the same grip in the race as I did in Qualifying,” explained Noguchi. “I don’t know what caused the difference but I found the race hard. I did what I could and tried to get in the best position on the last lap but Salvador slipped past and I couldn’t get back ahead. Fourth is not bad but also not so good.”

RedBullRookies Misano Haruki Noguchi Leads
Haruki Noguchi

Fifth place and fastest lap went to Marcos Uriarte but the 14-year-old Spaniard was not happy with that.

Marcos Uriarte – P5

“I made a bad start and gave myself a lot of work to do. By the time I had got to the front I had used up my tyres and I then struggled. Fifth is not where I wanted to finish.”

RedBullRookies Misano Haruki Noguchi Leads
Haruki Noguchi

So Tatay goes to Aragon with a 54 point advantage over Acosta and has the Cup.

Unfortunately Yuki Kunii was unable to keep his chance of the title alive, the 16-year-old Japanese is still recovering from the hand injury he sustained when riding as a wild card in the Czech Moto3 Grand Prix.

Billy Van Eerde had a testing weekend after a massive high-side in FP2, but the 17-year-old knuckled down and rode strongly in the race. 

Billy’s late race pace was strong, but after exceeding track limits Billy was hit with two penalties which shuffled him down to 14th place in the race results. That important couple of points preserved his ninth place standing in the championship standings.

Billy Van Eerde – P14

“The weekend was tough. I started off well, sixth in FP1 but unfortunately had a big high-side in FP2 which dropped my confidence quite a bit for the rest of the weekend. I managed to qualify 14th so had a difficult race in front of me.

“I made up some positions off the start but struggled to find my rhythm in the early laps, and couldn’t manage to tag onto the back of the front group.

“It was coming back to me a little, but I was pushing too hard, using too much of the track, and got a long lap penalty plus a three-second penalty which pushed me down the order.

“My lap-times at the end of the race we’re not to bad, but it was all too late by then. I finished in P12 but was relegated to P14 by the penalties.

“It was a really hard weekend but I am putting it behind me now and looking forward to Aragon and hopefully some much better results!”

RedBullRookies Misano Billy VanEerde
Billy Van Eerde #29

Race Results And Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au

Breakthrough weekend for Billy Van Eerde in Austria

2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

Round 5 – Red Bull Ring, Austria

Images by Gold & Goose/Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool


Australia’s Billy Van Eerde has taken a 2-3 result at the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Round 5 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, with the two podium results boosting him to 11th in the standings, now on 47-points.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Billy van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Pedro Acosta claimed the Race 1 win from Van Eerde and Noguchi, with standings leader Carlos Tatay way back in 14th. Race 2 saw Noguchi win, with Tatay back in the fight and on the podium in second, ahead of Van Eerde. Race 1 winner Acosta was back in fifth behind Huertas.

Qualifying

Spaniards were in control all the way through Free Practice and Qualifying with 15-year-old Alex Escrig finally grabbing pole ahead of 14-year-old Marcos Uriarte after the pair worked together at the end of Qualifying. Fellow countryman and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup leader, 16-year-old Carlos Tatay was all on his own for third.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Alex Escrig
Alex Escrig – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

The Escrig/Uriarte plan also included another Spielberg first timer, 15-year-old Pedro Acosta but the 15-year-old Spaniard missed out and was only ninth fastest. Also missing out was Japanese 18-year-old Haruki Noguchi who topped the timing screen only to have that best lap cancelled because he exceeded track limits.

Tatay has already won five races and scored two second places this year. With rival Yuki Kunii missing the Austrian round after injuring his right hand again in his wild card GP debut in Brno last weekend the 16-year-old Spaniard could well clinch the Cup this weekend.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Field
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

He could even do it on Saturday if Acosta, David Salvador and Jason Dupasquier do not score a few points. Most likely the Cup will still be in play on Sunday. Yet another Spaniard, 15-year-old David Salvador, starts fifth.


Race 1

A photo finish gave Pedro Acosta victory over Billy van Eerde and Haruki Noguchi in an incredible Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Race 1 in Austria.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Pedro Acosta
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Sensation from start to finish with run-away points leader Carlos Tatay given a ride-through penalty for a jump start along with fellow front row sitter Marcos Uriarte who was rolling while the crowd were still taking their seats.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Tatay and Uriarte recovered to score two and one-points respectively but it very much keeps the Cup alive as Acosta has slashed Tatay’s advantage to 54-points. Yuki Kunii is only 49 behind Tatay but the Japanese 16-year-old misses both races this weekend through injury.

It was at least a lead battle of twelve KTM RC 250 Rs and no one even looked like breaking away. In the closing stages it was Acosta, van Eerde and Noguchi who seemed strongest but the result was still wide open and the win only decided on the dash from the last corner to the flag.

Pedro Acosta

“An incredible feeling, I won that when the race was red flagged so this is much better. I had a good feeling going into the race because in FP1 and FP2 my times were good. I made a bit of a mess of Qualifying so only started ninth but I managed to get to the front quickly. At the end I didn’t want to lead, there are so many places to pass here, straights to slipstream, I just wanted to be third or second and I managed that. Then the last corners just worked perfectly but it was so close. It was so close, Noguchi touched me coming through the last turn but it was really such a nice fight, great fun.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Pedro Acosta
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Van Eerde had lost a podium in Race 2 at the Sachsenring because of exceeding track limits but not this time and was ecstatic to finish on the podium.

Billy Van Eerde

“Finally, it was such a great race, I just kept pushing and never gave up. I wasn’t so happy with the bike in Qualifying and was only 11th on the grid. It was a bit unstable but I talked to Santi (Suspension engineer Santiago Morralla) and he had it sorted for the race. In the last corner Noguchi came across and I lost my drive just a bit but I’m so happy to get on the podium.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Noguchi picked up his third third-place of his first Rookies Cup season.

Haruki Noguchi

“Not perfect, I had two or three plans for the end of the race but they didn’t quite work on the last lap, I still had a plan for the last corner as I’d watched the videos from the last few years, it almost worked but not quite. Tomorrow I will try again. I did change the bike after qualifying but for tomorrow we will go back a bit and I hope that can make the difference, I want to win.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Haruki Noguchi
Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

A very close fourth was French 14-year-old Gabin Planques whose previous best was 11th in Race 2 at the Sachsenring. Pole man Alex Escrig was in the lead group but ran off the track with a few laps to go, so none of the front row featured in the final podium contest.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Race Podium
Race 1 podium, 1) Pedro Acosta, 2) Billy Van Eerde, 3) Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria RaceResults Spielberg
Race 1 Results – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Race 2

Any one of sixteen could have won the second intense seventeen lap race but it was Japanese 18-year-old Haruki Noguchi who put together two perfect corners to complete his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory. Cup leader Carlos Tatay almost stole the win by passing him into the penultimate corner but the 16-year-old Spaniard drifted a fraction wide and Noguchi was back ahead.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun field
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Billy van Eerde, the 17-year-old Australian picked up his second podium of the weekend with a fine third ahead of Adrián Huertas, Pedro Acosta and Zonta van den Goorbergh. Two seconds covered the top 14 KTM RC 250 Rs at the finish.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun field
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Haruki Noguchi

“Finally a win and I am very happy with that. It was half full gas and half a bit of planning. It was such a tight bunch that I though it best to keep in the top three or four to keep out of trouble. On the last lap I wanted to take the lead and hold it but Tatay managed to get ahead and I had to repass him, then I went for maximum corner speed and using all the track at the last corner so I could not be passed. It worked. I want to thank everyone who supports me including the technical staff, we swapped back to the settings I used for Qualifying and that worked well today.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Haruki Noguchi
Haruki Noguchi – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

With a hand already on the Cup title Tatay might have cruised a bit and picked up useful points but the racer never thought of that.

Carlos Tatay

“I’m not thinking about the championship. I wanted to win. I went for the inside line at the end but just could not hold on. Still, second is good and I am very happy after yesterday’s mistake at the start. I really want to thank my manager and my mechanic, they know exactly how to give me a boost when I need it.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Carlos Tatay
Carlos Tatay – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Wearing the same brilliant smile he carried after yesterday’s second place, Aussie Billy van Eerde was happy with third.

Billy van Eerde

“It was a different race to yesterday, I was stuck more in the pack. Things were so close this time that I couldn’t find the line I needed and it was very hard to make progress. I just kept pushing though and made it work at the end.”

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Billy van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Like van Eerde, Huertas has had a torrid second Rookies Cup season but the 15-year-old Spaniard put that behind him with a fine fourth. The same plan didn’t work so well for Saturday’s winner Acosta.

So rapid were the changes of fortune through the entire race that David Salvador, the 15-year-old Spaniard who had the lead with a couple of laps to go ended up 16th after colliding with Marcos Uriarte on the final lap. Uriarte rolled home 20th, completing a frustrating weekend that had looked so promising when he qualified second.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Acosta
Pedro Acosta – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

Pole sitter Alex Escrig was even more unlucky. He ended up stuck in the gravel trap on Saturday and didn’t even make the start on Sunday after a collision with van den Goorbergh on the warm up lap. Escrig fell and his bike was damaged so the 15-year-old Spaniard could not start.

Van den Goorbergh did not fall, started as normal but was quickly awarded a long lap penalty for the incident with Escrig. He served the penalty and then managed to get back in the pack.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Rnd Austria Sun Race Podium
Race 1 podium, 1) Haruki Noguchi, 2) Carlos Tatay, 3) Billy Van Eerde – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria
Race Classification for AUT RookiesCup RAC
Race 2 Results – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2019 – Round 5, Austria

2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup standings

  1. CARLOS TATAY (Spain) 158 points
  2. YUKI KUNII (Japan) 109
  3. PEDRO ACOSTA (Spain) 104
  4. HARUKI NOGUCHI (Japan) 82
  5. JASON DUPASQUIER (Switzerland) 79
  6. LORENZO FELLON (France) 77
  7. DAVID SALVADOR (Spain) 75
  8. MAX COOK (United Kingdom) 58
  9. MARCOS URIARTE (Spain) 54
  10. BARRY BALTUS (Belgium) 48
  11. BILLY VAN EERDE (Australia) 47
  12. ZONTA VAN DEN GOORBERGH (Netherlands) 34
  13. MATTEO BERTELLE (Italy) 32
  14. ALEX ESCRIG (Spain) 31
  15. GABIN PLANQUES (France) 25

Source: MCNews.com.au

Billy Van Eerde earns Junior Talent Team ride in FIM CEV Repsol

Billy Van Eerde to add FIM CEV Repsol Ride to his dance card in 2019

The stellar rise of Aussie youngster Billy Van Eerde shows no signs of abating with the 16-year-old selected, amongst a combination of talented youngsters from the Asia Talent Cup and British Talent Cup to race under the Junior Talent Team umbrella in the 2019 FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship.

Asia Talent Cup Rnd Thailand R Billy van Eerde DSC
Billy Van Eerde with Jack Miller in Thailand

Promoting and running talents from different paths on the Road to MotoGP, the Junior Talent Team unifies three team names under the same umbrella, and unites the efforts of Dorna talent promotion programs, including the sponsors and partners who provide important backing to young riders and teams. In 2019 the project continues to count on the valuable support of Honda, Kushitani and Astra Honda.

Billy Van Eerde
Billy Van Eerde in his Red Bull Rookies Cup livery

Billy Van Eerde won the Asia Talent Cup this year and will start his second year in the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2019, and will now also race the highly competitiv FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship.


Junior Talent Team 2019 Line-Up
  • 30 Max Cook GBR (16) British Talent Team
  • 31 Bill Van Eerde AUS (16) Asia Talent Team
  • 32 Haruki Noguchi JPN (17) Asia Talent Team
  • 33 Yuki Kunii JPN (15) Asia Talent Team
  • 34 Mario Aji INA (14) Astra Honda Racing Team

Billy Van Eerde makes the step to the FIM CEV Repsol as the reigning Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion after being crowned in the final round at Sepang International Circuit. The first Australian IATC race winner and Champion, Van Eerde will be racing in the JTT alongside the rider he narrowly beat to the crown: Haruki Noguchi from Japan.

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Champ
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion

The pair will join Yuki Kunii, the veteran of the squad and now a Moto3 Junior World Championship race winner aiming even higher in 2019, in Asia Talent Team colours.

Max Cook arrives in the JTT fresh from a top season in the British Talent Cup, where he took a number of wins and was a consistent pacesetter and frontrunner. Cook also has experience in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the European Talent Cup ahead of this next step as the British Talent Team rider in the JTT.

Max Cook
Max Cook

Mario Aji from Indonesia is the final rider in the JTT in 2019. An IATC race winner and standout performer at many rounds in 2018, ‘Super Mario’ moves into the Junior Talent Team structure in Astra Honda Racing Team colours.

After race wins, multiple podiums and some impressive showings in 2018, the JTT is now ready to attack a new season with a number of new faces – with experienced Kunii ready to lead the way.

Action begins for the five riders with a winter training camp soon to be confirmed, before racing starts on the 7th of April at the Circuito do Estoril in the FIM CEV Repsol season opener.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Billy Van Eerde | 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion | Videos

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Champ sign
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion

2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion

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16-year-old Billy Van Eerde today won the 2018 Asia Talent Cup Championship after an unbelievable weekend of racing at Sepang.

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Jack Miller
Jack Miller has been instrumental in helping Billy this season both at the track, and in a massive way away from the track

It came down to the line and Billy was actually beaten to the flag by championship rival Haruki Noguchi. However, the Japanese rider had a coming together on the straight with Malaysian rider Danial Sharil.

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An investigation immediately after the race then judged Noguchi to have been guilty of irresponsible riding and docked him 27-seconds, which promoted Billy to the race win, and with that enough points to be crowned Asia Talent Cup Champion.

Asia Talent Cup Crash Line
A coming together at the flag decided the championship

Billy only joined the Asia Talent Cup for the first time this year, while many of his competitors, including Noguchi have had multiple years in the tightly contested category on controlled Honda NSF250R motorcycles.

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Sue
Billy Van Eerde with mum Sue

I don’t think it is out of place for me to say that all of us that are regularly involved in Australian Road Racing are immensely proud of Billy’s achievement today, and feel lucky to have seen his progression from the start as he made his transtion from dirt track in the ranks of ASBK Supersport 300 on a KTM.

Billy Van Eerde heads to Thailand holding down second place in the Asia Talent Cup standings
Billy Van Eerde

I reckon it is also fair to say that quite a few of shed a tear this evening as we watched the realisation dawn on Billy that he had won the championship. 

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Relief
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion

Alberto Puig (Talent Promotion Director)

“As always this Cup is about evolution during the year and some guys make more of an evolution than others, van Eerde started step by step but has been progressing, as have many other riders, and finally he was the Champion and we have to congratulate him. I think this incident in the last race made it a little it strange, but in the points he’s the Champion and that’s what counts. Overall we’re happy with the year, we’re satisfied we had another season of the Cup because it’s always complicated.”

Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Champ
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion
Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Champ
2018 Asia Talent Cup Top Three
Asia Talent Cup Billy Van Eerde Group
Billy Van Eerde – 2018 Asia Talent Cup Champion – #19

2018 Asia Talent Cup Final Championship Points

  1. Billy Van Eerde AUS 199
  2. Haruki Noguchi JPN 174
  3. Sho Nishimura JPN 150
  4. Danial Sharil MAL 147
  5. Mario Aji INA 123
  6. Tachakorn Buarsi THA 108
  7. Takuma Matsuyama JPN 101
  8. Lucky Hendriansya INA 87
  9. Agung Fachrul INA 75
  10. Afridza Munandar INA 59

Source: MCNews.com.au