Retrospective: The missing from the Red Bull Rookies Cup – 2/3

What do they have in common Johann zarco, Jorge Martín, Enea Bastianini et Peter Acosta ? They all went through the Red Bull Rookies Cup, the famous promotion formula reserved for young talents. Here, everyone has the same bike and the same chances. It is therefore one of the most fertile academies. Since 2007, this championship has seen the emergence of many big names. However, at a very young age, it is sometimes difficult to confirm such high expectations. Together, let's look back at the forgotten people who passed through the ranks of this school of performance. It is not a question of denigrating them, quite the contrary; This saga aims to shed light on them, but also to illustrate the difficulty of the global level. Let's keep in mind that the names mentioned above are exceptions, and that the majority of promising adolescents encounter difficulties sometimes extra-sporting.

This episode follows yesterday's, which you can find by clicking on this highlighted sentence.

I) Arthur Sissis

You may have fond memories of the Australian, and reading his name probably just gave you a flash of nostalgia. After starting his career in motocross and speedway, he tried his hand at asphalt like many of his compatriots. At 15, he is registered in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, ready to prove his talent on the European continent. During the 2010 edition, he learned, and was not ridiculous in the face of fierce opposition. In 2011, it clicked. He won at Jerez, in Portugal, at Assen and at Mugello. Fastest driver that year, a catastrophic weekend at Sachsenring costs him the title, promised to Lorenzo Baldassarri.

Unlike all the riders previously studied, Arthur was offered a real opportunity in the Moto3 championship for 2012. He was hired by KTM Ajo alongside Sandra Cortese et Danny Kent. Arriving in such a structure puts pressure, and unfortunately, Sissis struggles to exist in front of his teammates. Discreet all year round, he achieved a feat in Australia, on his home soil, with a magnificent 3rd place. On the line he beats Alex Rins, Kent et Romano Fenati. An unforgettable memory.

 

Unfortunately, this is his only career feat.. The year 2013 is even more complicated, and this time, no miracle in sight. The official Mahindra team recruited him in 2014, but he did not even finish the year. In December, he chose to return to speedway ovals, his first love. Everything is going so fast.

II) Stefano Manzi

He hasn't really disappeared, since he still hit the tracks of the Moto2 world last year. But his career has nothing to do with what he showed in the Rookies Cup. We are talking here about one of the greatest talents of his generation, at least as a teenager. He joined the promotion formula in 2012, aged only 13 and has already reached the podium twice. The following year, he was third in the championship behind Karel Hanika et Jorge Martin, sorry. He returned for a third season and, unusually, retained his third place, with eight podiums including one victory in fourteen starts. Absolutely crazy. Behind him, Darryn Binder, but also Fabio Di Giannantonio and Toprak Razgatlioğlu.

When he was recruited by the San Carlo Italia team in 2015, everyone was waiting for the next crack. But Stefano cannot acclimatize to the world level, just like to his Mahindra. He decided to sign in Moto2 for 2017, after only a season and a half spent in Moto3, a somewhat hasty decision. Manzi is only 18 years old, but the Sky VR46 team is growing in him. This is one of the best teams around. However, it is the Berezina. Four entries in the points in 18 races, and eight retirements. From then on, he engaged with Forward, first on the handlebars of a Suter then a MV Agusta, but without success. Pons, via its prestigious structure Flexbox HP40, wants to bring back the phoenix within him in 2021, but nothing happens.

A few freelances in 2022 for Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, and here Manzi's world adventure is already over, at only 24 years old. At the same time, he achieved decent results in the Supersport world championship and even won in Portugal. He signs up with Ten Kate Yamaha for 2023, and we hope everything goes well. Perhaps he will make a return to the highest level in the years to come?

 

III) Florian Alt

Finally, let's talk about the case of this once very promising German pilot. He is the perfect example that a few missed weekends can affect a career. He didn't look like much when he made his first laps in the Rookies Cup, during the 2010 season. It was in 2011 that his full potential was revealed, his speed spoke for him and allowed him to win the final round. in Misano. In 2012, he defied the predictions and began to string together victories until he largely won the overall standings.

Kiefer Racing spots him, and offers him a Moto3 handlebar for the 2013 season. The first races went badly: three consecutive retirements, but the last one was more serious than the others. An injury forced him to miss two rounds, something a young person still learning cannot afford. The result is new poor performances, then injuries, and so on. In the end, Florian never entered the points in Moto3, and left the championship at the end of 2014.

Subsequently, he focused mainly on the German Superbike championship, the IDM, where he finished second three times in 2016, 2017 and 2021. Also involved in endurance, he won the Bol d'Or 2022 with Erwan Nigon et Steven Odendaal. A magnificent accomplishment on the occasion of the centenary of the event, which suggests other great stories to follow.

Do you have any memories of these pilots? Tell us in the comments and see you tomorrow, same time, for the last part of this retrospective.

Cover photo: Stefen Possdorf