02 Aug 2012 Asia Dream Cup offers Moto3 wildcard as ultimate prize
Even before the Honda CBR250R engine had been fired up at the Sepang International Circuit for the first official practice of the Asia Dream Cup, the stakes have gotten even higher. Organized in conjunction with the 2012 PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship, the main collaborators behind the Asia Dream Cup - Honda Motor Co. and Two Wheels Motor Racing (race promoters of the Asia Road Racing Championship) have announced that Moto3 Wildcard rides in the MotoGP will be the ultimate prize for the inaugural season of the Asia Dream Cup.
Previously, when plans for the Asia Dream Cup was first introduced, the top riders of the new class were offered the chance to test on the Moto3 bikes. Now that the wildcard opportunities have been placed on the podium, the level of competition in the Asia Dream Cup is expected to rev up another gear.
Speaking at the official launch, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. Motorsports Manager, Hiroyuki Fujiwara said, “The top riders of the 2012 season in terms of results, attitude, aptitude, and discipline will be awarded the wildcard slots. As long as they (the young riders) can prove their worth, we will support their dream of making their GP-debut.”
With this announcement, the Asia Dream Cup becomes a clear path for riders to progress from their national championships to the Underbone 115cc class of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship, to the Asia Dream Cup, thence to the SuperSports 600cc class and finally to reach the world level as wildcard and eventually even the MotoGP.
“By introducing the Asia Dream Cup scholarship class, we hope to accelerate the progress of motorcycle racing in Asia as we will be able to offer this scholarship to riders coming from countries with minimal road racing activities.”
“For Asian riders to progress to MotoGP is all about the sponsorship. A large number of Asian riders have reached a very high level in terms of skill but lacked the opportunity to progress. Through the Asia Dream Cup, we hope to eliminate this problem for the riders and we will work together with our partners throughout the region to ensure that this happens for Asian riders. For this reason, the existence of the Asia Dream Cup is very important for Asian motorcycle racing in general,” Mr. Fujiwara further elaborated.
Speaking on behalf of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship, Two Wheels Motor Racing Promotions Director Ron Hogg said, “For years, we have been trying to find a scholarship class through which Asian riders can progress in their careers. The diversification of Asia makes it more difficult for potential riders to progress as opposed to their European counterparts. Therefore, we hope that the riders taking part in the first season of the Asia Dream Cup will make full use of this opportunity that had been given to them.”
“The main sponsors of the Asia Road Racing Championship, PETRONAS and Dunlop, have done much to spur the growth of Asian motorcycle racing. Without their long-term commitment, Asian riders would not be where they are today. Despite the deep pool of talent we have in the Underbone 115cc and SuperSports 600cc class, the gap between the two classes is not something that can be easily bridged. The Asia Dream Cup is the missing piece of the puzzle that has become even more important since the 125GP class was abolished last year. Eventually, we would not discount the possibility of starting a Moto3 class if the stakeholders in Asian motorsports respond well to this new development,” he concluded.
The riders gathered for the first leg of the 2012 Asia Dream Cup, totaling up to 16 riders representing 8 Asian countries, come from diverse racing backgrounds and pedigree. They are Hikari Okubo and Hiroki Ono of Japan; Apiwat Wongthananon and Kanatat Jaiman of Thailand; Joshua Hook Frederick and Joshua Pickering William from Australia; S. Sasitharen and Mohd Fitri Ashraf Razali from Malaysia; Denny Triyugo Laksono and Iswandi Muis from Indonesia; Lin Yu-Jhih and Ko I-Chen from Taiwan; Deepak Papineni and Gautam Mayilvaganan from India and Garry Jr Agustin Caneda from the Philippines.
The Asia Dream Cup will run for a 5-year timetable, beginning 2012 and ending in 2016. From that point onwards, future plans will be tabled to suit the maturity of Asian motorcycle racing at that time.