The future of motorcycle racing comes to Morgan Park Raceway, 12-14 July with round three of the Oceania Junior Cup (OJC).
The Cup, which will be part of this year’s Australian Superbike Championship round at Warwick, is a development academy aimed at nurturing the region’s next wave of road racing stars.
It has been formally recognised this year with Australian championship status.
The elevation in prestige for OJC is a major boost for the FIM-backed and Dorna Sports-endorsed Road to MotoGP pathways program, which began in 2019 and now boasts an impressive alumni that has gone onto further success in international competitions such as the Red Bull Rookies Cup and Asia Talent Cup.
One of the OJC graduates is Jacob Roulstone, who will made his world championship debut in the 2024 Moto3 class after competing in the first edition five years ago before heading to Europe to continue his road racing journey.
Motorcycling Australia CEO, Peter Doyle, said the Australian championship status is well deserved for the program, which features 20 riders producing spectacular racing on identical Yamaha YZF-R15 machines.
“Developing junior talent is a core pillar of any sport, and the Oceania Junior Cup has been a massive shot in the arm for road racing in our region, underpinned by an all-inclusive program and coaching from some of the biggest names in the sport such as former 500 GP winner Garry McCoy,” he said.
“The OJC is an invaluable grassroots class for juniors to develop race craft and professionalism, both on- and off-track, which they can then utilise as they transition into the senior ranks.
“We look forward to seeing a new batch of riders progress through the OJC ranks in 2024, complete with Australian championship status.”
The OJC is being held over six rounds with the stars of tomorrow battling it out for supremacy on identical Yamaha YZF-R15s.
