It’s a new year of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 World Championship and there are plenty of new faces lining up in the Junior Talent Team eager to get going. After a two-day test and the Winter Training Camp to get everyone up to speed, it’s now finally time for the lights to go out and engines to fire up.

The first stop for the season is the classic Circuito do Estoril, host to many a legendary series and a challenge veteran Yuki Kunii knows well as the Japanese rider came home fourth in 2018. Having gained more experience and now with a race win under his belt, Kunii will be aiming to get his title challenge in gear from the off in 2019 and aim for the podium.

His new teammates will be looking to try and get in the mix, too. Reigning Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion Bill Van Eerde and former IATC rivals Haruki Noguchi and Mario Aji face a new challenge this season and Estoril will be a good benchmark to see how they match up in the Moto3 Junior World Championship, as it will for fellow JTT debutant Max Cook. He was third overall in the inaugural British Talent Cup and although he and Van Eerde both have some experience at a couple of tracks on the calendar, Estoril isn’t one of them – so the learning curve stays steep and that crucial chicane awaits.
By MotoGP