Throughout the year we met young riders from the Moto2 and Moto3 categories who, discreetly but surely, were progressing in their category. Now that the season is over, it is time to take stock.
2018 was an opportunity for us to highlight young drivers from the small categories of the World Cup in order to present their journey and their young career to you. Although discreet, they have been progressing very quickly for some time and we wanted to talk about it.
At the end of this season, what results did they achieve? Did they achieve their goals? Where will they be next season?
MOTO2
The nice surprise of our series of portraits came fromAugusto Fernandez (see his portrait). Arriving in the Championship only from the Barcelona Grand Prix to permanently replace Héctor Barberá within the Pons HP 40 team, the 21-year-old Spaniard impressed. Although he made four mistakes during his season, he finished every other race in the points and clearly got closer to the podium towards the end. His superb fourth and sixth places in Australia and Japan bear witness to this. Fernández will remain with the Pons team in 2019 and should logically play at the forefront. In any case, that is its objective.
Iker Lecuona (see his portrait) was the other nice surprise in the category. The young Spaniard, only 18 years old, gained momentum throughout the season and ended up securing the first podium of his career in Valencia. Like Fernández, he made four mistakes this year but had more difficulty staying in the points, which was his goal. He nevertheless managed to secure six top 10 finishes as well as a front row in qualifying in Japan and gained the experience he was looking for to aim for victory next year. He will also continue in his team, the SWISS INNOVATIVE INVESTORS which becomes the American Team.
Finally, we met Andrea Locatelli (see his portrait), teammate of Mattia Pasini in the Italtrans team. For his second year in the category, the 22-year-old Italian made significant progress and finished thirteen races in the points. However, he wanted to aim better by regularly entering the top 10, something he only managed to do four times. Still at Italtrans next season, we will see if he will manage to be more regular.
MOTO3
Although discreet, Albert Arenas (see his portrait) was one of the revelations of this year 2018. Winner at Le Mans then at Phillip Island for the first time in his career, the 22-year-old Spaniard had his best season by entering the top 10 five more times Almost always at the forefront in the race, he struggled to materialize at the start of the year and was finally able to show his talent from mid-season. After finishing 35th then 26th in the Championship in 2016 and 2017, he made a real leap in the rankings this year by finishing 9th. He should logically be an opponent for the title in 2019 with his team Ángel Nieto.
Just behind Arenas in the Championship we find Marcos Ramirez (see his portrait) who has progressed a lot in two seasons. Author of two podiums at Jerez then at Le Mans as well as six top 10s, the 21-year-old driver is nevertheless not satisfied with his season. He will arrive next year in the Leopard Racing team, one of the most important in Moto3 and should therefore fight for the title. In any case, that is its objective.
Ayumu Sasaki (see his portrait) has, for his part, had no luck this year. Victim of problems with his motorcycle and personal errors, he was then hit at Misano and broke his wrist. He who was making clear progress was stopped in his tracks. Despite this, the Japanese, only 18 years old, entered the points eight times, including five times in the top 10, in addition to qualifying on the front row at Mugello and Phillip Island. Supported by the Petronas structure, he has regained confidence and we wish him to finally be able to fight at the forefront in 2019, which is his goal.
Finally, we met two 17 year old rookies, the Italian Dennis Foggia (see his portrait) playing in the Sky VR46 team, and the Spanish Alonso lopez (see his portrait), rolling for the Estrella Galicia 0,0 structure. Foggia finished in the points six times, including three times in the top 3, and above all achieved the very first podium of his career, in his first season, in Thailand. For his part, López virtually won at Jerez before being penalized and finishing fourth. He has also entered the top 10 three times. Both have made six errors this season, however the Italian has been more consistent. They will both remain in their team next year and, after such a good first season, we should find them more often at the forefront.
