Jerome Vanlalrengpuia Wins Red Bull Road To Rookies Cup 2018

Jerome Vanlalrengpuia has emerged victorious in the third edition of the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup. The Mizoram-based racer will be heading to Spain in October this year for the Rookies Cup qualifiers representing India at the global level. In its third edition in India, the Road to Rookies Cup's final round was held at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore last weekend and Jerome took a hard-fought win, beating title contender PC Andy Lalhmangaihsanga, also based out of Mizoram. The two were tied at the top of the points table with 32 points each at end of two rounds.

Jerome won Race 1 on Saturday, while PC Andy clinched the win in Race 2 on Sunday, allowing both riders to tie-up on points. However, it was Zothanmawia of Aizawl, who won both races of Round 1 but was unable to participate in Race 2 due to an injury in a practice accident. The winner was eventually chosen based on the qualifying times over the two rounds, and it was Jerome posted the fastest timings during the qualifiers.

(The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup is for riders between the age of 12 and 16 years)

The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup is an initiative to identify and nurture young motorcycling talent and is a stepping stone for riders to realise their MotoGP aspirations. The riders are between the age of 12 and 16 years and have a chance to showcase their prowess on a global platform. Since its inception in 2007, Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup has released new stars into the world of Grand Prix racing. Both Moto2 and Moto3 World Champions in 2015 were ex-Rookies.

In India, the Rookies cup is held concurrently with the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, and the young riders use the race-prepped Gixxer SF for the championship. Over 300 entries were received for the Rookies Cup this year, of which only 22 were shortlisted the Gixxer Cup, while eight were selected for the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup.