Let's Talk MotoGP: You have a new nugget to watch

At Misano, a new rider won his first Grand Prix and you may have missed it. Angel Piqueras, a rookie rider in Moto3 heralded as a real gem whose rise to MotoGP seems all mapped out, is now playing in the big leagues. Where did he come from? And above all, can he continue like this? Answer.

Teacher

 

As I said in a previous analysis, not all victories are equal.. Angel Piqueras' Moto3 performance at Misano was clearly remarkable. Given that he had to serve two long penalty periods for sending poor Scott Ogden to the mat in practice, he knew he had to start strong. And he did. The Spaniard gave us a great start, largely on a par with Jorge Martin's in the Sprint the day before. While he was fourth, he stuck an outside that Jorge Lorenzo would have been jealous of in the first corner. David Alonso, another genius, could do nothing about it.

 

 

Afterwards, it was the festival. Armed with his fluorescent yellow number 36 which is reminiscent of a certain Joan Mir, he drove with demonic confidence ; the contacts did not scare him, but always with the characteristic mastery of the future greats. Finally, he imposed himself against Daniel Holgado by 35 thousandths of a second. Isn't it amazing?

 

The future

 

Last week, another rookie won in Aragon, in the person of José Antonio Rueda. It's true that I hadn't written an article about it, especially because I had to concentrate my efforts on the MotoGP. But both have a strangely similar background, which I will describe to you in the following lines.

 

 

In fact, the two of them have a record that is unmatched by any other rider in Grand Prix history. They were the only two to win the prestigious MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup championship and the FIM JuniorGP in the same year. Rueda did it in 2022 and was a Moto3 rookie in 2023, but he didn't have such an incredible season at Red Bull KTM Ajo. Piqueras is the reigning champion of both series, therefore, and confirms his prodigy status with this impressive victory.

Hold on tight, because for the third year in a row, the man who has already won the 2024 Red Bull Rookies Cup is also leading the JuniorGP; This is the young Spaniard Alvaro Carpe, who is expected to arrive in Moto3 next year. But I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to contemplate his talent in 2025.

Let's go back to Piqueras. Like Rueda, Alonso and Pedro Acosta before him, He is part of this new Spanish golden generation., which I have already written about. Piqueras is a 2006, like Alonso, with the only difference being that he rides with Honda Leopard Racing. And that is no small feat. Indeed, the KTM used in the small category is the best, by quite a long way even. Leopard Racing is a top-notch team, certainly, but few winged machines perform so well in this class. The defending champion, Jaume Masia, already rode a Honda but that should not mislead you. : it is less efficient and less versatile than its rival used by the big guns. As proof, the Japanese are currently last in the manufacturers' rankings, behind CFMoto, KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas, or four "brands" of the Austrian group which race the same KTMs.

 

 

And yet, the rookie Piqueras manages to make it work despite his lack of learning, where Masia had already rolled his hump before winning the Grail. Currently seventh in the general classification, He is already the first Honda rider just ahead of his teammate Adrian Fernandez., who was already playing in the Luxembourg team last year. It’s very strong.

 

Break everything

 

How far can it go? Personally, I believe in him a lot. I had also bet on him for the 2024 title, which was a bit of a crazy bet but which saved me from choosing the obvious David Alonso. It won't happen, of course, but I see him as stronger than Rueda, for example, and this despite his victory at Aragon. His demonstration at Misano can really trigger something big. He needs to capitalize on this effort and exploit a positive dynamic, the kind that can take him to the title next year. In this sense, it reminds me of Alonso's first success at Silverstone in 2023The Spaniard had already been on the podium in the United States before taking pole at Assen, but this time I can see Piqueras entering another dimension.

If he continues on this path, we may witness the emergence of a new star. What do you think of Angel Piqueras? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Leopard Racing