Red Bull Rookies
| Category | Motorcycle sport |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Inaugural season | 2007 |
| Riders' champion |
 Ayumu Sasaki
|
| Official website | www |
 Current season
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The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is a 250cc class of KTM motorcycle, ridden by up and coming motorcycle riders that have not had experience in a Motorcycle Grand Prix previously. Prior to the 2013 season, a 2-stroke KTM RC 125cc engine was used. The class was founded in 2007, and since then a number of the rookies have progressed through to the 125/Moto3 championship in MotoGP. These include 2008 runner-up Luis Salom, 2009 champion Jakub Kornfeil 2010 runner-up Danny Kent and 2011 runner-up Arthur Sissis.
In 2012, ex Rookies Kent and Sissis rode for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Motorsport Team in the Moto3 World Championship with Kent winning GPs in Japan and Valencia and Sissis finishing 3rd in the Australian GP. Ex Rookie Salom finished 2nd in the 2012 championship following wins in Indianapolis and Aragon and a total of 8 rostrum places for the season.
2013 sees a change of machinery to the 4-stroke Moto3 specification KTM 250 RBR. Florian Alt, the 2012 Rookies Cup champion, moves up to the Moto3 class for 2013 with fellow alumnae Philipp Öttl (4th), Livio Loi (11th) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Cup winner in 2011 and 8th in 2012).
Three ex Rookies has since win a world championship. Both Johann Zarco and Danny Kent won a world championship in 2015; Zarco won the Moto2 title while Kent won the Moto3 title. Zarco, however, claimed it first; since he clinched his championship in Japan, while Kent had to wait until the last round in Valencia to clinch his title. The next year, Brad Binder became the third ex Rookie to win a world championship after winning the 2016 Moto3 title at Aragon while Zarco successfully defended his Moto2 title. So far, only one ex Rookie has started a race in the MotoGP class as of 2017, which is Johann Zarco who is currently riding for Tech 3 Yamaha.
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