Red Bull Rookies Cup explodes into life at Jerez with two last-lap thrillers

2026 Red Bull Rookies Cup

Round One – Jerez

Before Sunday’s MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races had even begun, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup had already added its own dose of drama to the Jerez weekend. That felt fitting. This is the 20th season of the Cup, and as ever it remains one of the most unforgiving and important steps on the road to Grand Prix stardom.

Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup riders and staff inspect the Jerez circuit during the pre-event track walk.

Twenty-six youngsters from 19 nations arrived in Spain knowing exactly what was on the line. Some came into the opener with a third Cup campaign behind them, some with a second, and some with almost everything still to learn. All of them knew Jerez mattered.

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup field heads out on the Jerez track walk ahead of the season opener.

Rookie shock in qualifying at Jerez

The first surprise came in qualifying, where the expected pecking order was promptly shoved aside. First-year Rookies Carlos Cano and Fernando Bujosa locked out the top two spots, the two 16-year-old Spaniards immediately making clear they had not come to spend a season learning quietly. David Da Costa completed the front row, and the numbers behind them told the story of just how savage the competition already was. Only 1.080 seconds covered 23 riders.

Cano’s pole was a particularly sharp statement. The Spaniard admitted he had not expected to start his first Cup season at the very front, but he clearly found both confidence and rhythm quickly on familiar ground. Bujosa was equally impressive, building his own pace rather than relying on a tow, while Da Costa’s front-row return after an injury-ravaged 2025 said plenty about the work he had done in the off-season.

Fernandez outsmarts Bujosa in wet-dry Race 1

Saturday’s first race then turned into exactly the kind of contest the Rookies Cup does best. A cloudburst before the start forced the field onto Pirelli wets, leaving a drying track that gradually destroyed those tyres and punished anyone who attacked too early. Beñat Fernandez judged it beautifully. The 18-year-old shadowed Bujosa for almost the entire 14-lap race, resisted the temptation to dive past too soon, and then executed a perfectly timed final-corner pass to grab the win.

Fernando Bujosa heads the field as the Red Bull Rookies Cup opener unfolds at Jerez.

Bujosa had done almost everything right on debut. He led from the front, controlled the race for long periods and looked completely at home in the fight. But Fernandez was the rider thinking furthest ahead. He could see the pair edging clear of the pack and understood that preserving a little more tyre would pay off later. It did. When the race reached its final moments, Fernandez had the grip, the composure and the plan. Bujosa had to settle for second, though it was still a hugely impressive first Cup outing.

Fernando Bujosa leads the Race 1 pack through the tricky wet-dry conditions at Jerez.

Kiattisak Singhapong completed the podium in third after making the most of his wet-weather experience. The Thai rider felt from the start that the changing conditions could work in his favour, and while he was not able to match the lead pair, he rode a smart race to bring home a valuable result.

Race 1 podium finishers Beñat Fernandez, Fernando Bujosa and Kiattisak Singhapong at Jerez.

David Gonzalez was fourth and Kerman Tinez fifth, with the field behind forced into a constant battle against grip, tyre life and the temptation to overreach.

Archie Schmidt on his Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup KTM at Jerez ahead of the 2026 season opener.

Archie Schmidt starts his European learning curve

For Australia’s Archie Schmidt, Race 1 at least brought a decent first reward for persistence. Having qualified 26th, Schmidt came through to finish 16th, gaining 10 places in his first-ever race in Europe. He admitted afterwards that the weekend had been humbling, but also pointed to strong starts and valuable learning as positives. In a category this brutal, that is a fair reading. Simply understanding the pace, pressure, and aggression of this field is a major part of the first assignment.

Archie Schmidt leads a line of KTM machinery during qualifying at Jerez.

Ramadhipa nails the final corner in Sunday morning thriller

Sunday morning delivered another classic, and this time the honours went to Indonesia’s Kiandra Ramadhipa. If Race 1 had been a lesson in patience and tyre management, Race 2 was a straight-up pack battle, the sort of frantic dry contest where half a dozen riders can still see victory right up to the last braking zone. Ramadhipa handled it brilliantly.

The Race 2 lead group snakes through Jerez in another classic Red Bull Rookies Cup scrap.

The 16-year-old produced a superb final-corner move to snatch victory, but what made it especially clever was that he ignored the obvious option. Rather than forcing the usual inside-block pass, he saw the riders ahead commit to the conventional line, stayed wider, carried more speed, and cut back for a stronger drive onto the straight. It was a sharp, mature move and enough to secure his first Rookies Cup win.

Kiandra Ramadhipa leads the front group in Race 2, with Beñat Fernandez and Mateo Marulanda in the fight behind.

Yaroslav Karpushin took a fine second for Kyrgyzstan, while Fernandez backed up his Saturday triumph with third, proving his opening victory had been no fluke. Mateo Marulanda crossed the line in the front group and initially looked to have claimed a podium, only to be dropped one place for touching the green on the final lap. That promoted Fernandez onto the box and left Marulanda fourth, with Bujosa fifth after another race that showed both his speed and his inexperience in equal measure.

Yaroslav Karpushin leads the pack in Race 2 at Jerez.

What stood out in that second race was just how little separated the contenders. It was not one of those Rookie races where the front breaks free and the scraps happen behind. This one stayed alive right to the line. It was frantic, messy, entertaining and packed with the sort of decisions that tell you a great deal about which young riders can think clearly under pressure.

Kiandra Ramadhipa takes the Race 2 chequered flag at Jerez ahead of Yaroslav Karpushin and Mateo Marulanda on the road.

After two races, the early shape of the championship is already intriguing. Fernandez leaves Jerez with the points lead after a win and a third place. Ramadhipa has announced himself immediately with his Sunday victory. Bujosa may not yet have a win, but he already looks like a rider who will be in the fight all year. Singhapong and Karpushin also leave Spain with the sense that they can be part of the front group rather than merely chasing it.

Kiandra Ramadhipa, Yaroslav Karpushin and Mateo Marulanda on the Race 2 podium at Jerez before the post-race reordering.

There are another 12 races still to come across Europe before the final two at the Red Bull Ring in mid-September. Then the 20th Cup winner will be crowned, and the paddock will begin working out which of these youngsters has done enough to step into Moto3 for 2027 and push on with genuine world championship ambitions.

Kiandra Ramadhipa celebrates his breakthrough Race 2 win on the Jerez podium.

If Jerez is any guide, several of them have already started making their case.

Yaroslav Karpushin celebrates his second-place finish on the Race 2 podium at Jerez.

Red Bull Rookies Results – Jerez Race One

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	B. Fernandez	KTM	28m40.071
2	F. Bujosa	KTM	+0.320
3	K. Singhapong	KTM	+10.109
4	D. Gonzalez	KTM	+10.151
5	K. Tinez	KTM	+17.125
6	K. Daniel	KTM	+17.562
7	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	+20.926
8	F. Kratochwil	KTM	+21.834
9	L. Agostinelli	KTM	+22.100
10	T. Borg	KTM	+22.179
11	R. Ogiwara	KTM	+23.897
12	E. Sparks	KTM	+31.854
13	S. Mounsey	KTM	+31.927
14	A. Almeida	KTM	+33.611
15	D. Da Costa	KTM	+35.091
16	A. Schmidt	KTM	+35.097
17	J. Van Crugten	KTM	+35.595
18	C. Cano	KTM	+36.031
19	G. Pugliese	KTM	+37.953
20	A. Daquigan	KTM	+42.897
21	A. Fernandez	KTM	+50.269
22	T. Varga	KTM	+58.326
23	Y. Karpushin	KTM	+1m09.563
24	C. Borrelli	KTM	+1m37.024
Not Classified
NC	G. Planques	KTM	3 Laps
NC	M. Marulanda	KTM	13 Laps

Beñat Fernandez celebrates in parc fermé after his clever Race 1 victory at Jerez.

Red Bull Rookies Results – Jerez Race Two

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	25m48.363
2	Y. Karpushin	KTM	+0.212
3	B. Fernandez	KTM	+0.224
4	M. Marulanda	KTM	+0.216
5	F. Bujosa	KTM	+0.257
6	D. Da Costa	KTM	+0.293
7	K. Singhapong	KTM	+0.302
8	G. Pugliese	KTM	+1.112
9	R. Ogiwara	KTM	+1.160
10	K. Daniel	KTM	+1.379
11	A. Daquigan	KTM	+1.577
12	F. Kratochwil	KTM	+1.579
13	C. Borrelli	KTM	+1.674
14	C. Cano	KTM	+2.641
15	K. Tinez	KTM	+9.227
16	T. Varga	KTM	+14.291
17	A. Almeida	KTM	+14.384
18	E. Sparks	KTM	+14.465
19	A. Fernandez	KTM	+14.573
20	J. Van Crugten	KTM	+14.752
21	A. Schmidt	KTM	+14.901
Not Classified
NC	D. Gonzalez	KTM	2 Laps
NC	T. Borg	KTM	7 Laps
NC	L. Agostinelli	KTM	12 Laps
NC	S. Mounsey	KTM	NF
NC	G. Planques	KTM	NF

Kiandra Ramadhipa with the winner’s trophy after his superb Race 2 success at Jerez.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Points

Pos	Rider	Bike	Nat	R1	R2	Points
1	B. Fernandez	KTM	SPA	25	16	41
2	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	INA	9	25	34
3	F. Bujosa	KTM	SPA	20	11	31
4	K. Singhapong	KTM	THA	16	9	25
5	Y. Karpushin	KTM	KGZ		20	20
6	K. Daniel	KTM	USA	10	6	16
7	D. Gonzalez	KTM	SPA	13		13
8	M. Marulanda	KTM	COL		13	13
9	K. Tinez	KTM	VEN	11	1	12
10	F. Kratochwil	KTM	GER	8	4	12
11	R. Ogiwara	KTM	JPN	5	7	12
12	D. Da Costa	KTM	FRA	1	10	11
13	G. Pugliese	KTM	ITA		8	8
14	L. Agostinelli	KTM	VIE	7		7
15	T. Borg	KTM	MLT	6		6
16	A. Daquigan	KTM	PHI		5	5
17	E. Sparks	KTM	GBR	4		4
18	C. Borrelli	KTM	ITA		3	3
19	S. Mounsey	KTM	GBR	3		3
20	A. Almeida	KTM	POR	2		2
21	C. Cano	KTM	SPA		2	2
22	A. Schmidt	KTM	AUS
23	T. Varga	KTM	HUN
24	J. Van Crugten	KTM	NED
25	A. Fernandez	KTM	SPA

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Red Bull Rookies Qualifying Results Jerez

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

Speed

1	C. Cano	KTM	1m48.301		201.4Km/h
2	F. Bujosa	KTM	1m48.460	+0.159	201.4Km/h
3	D. Da Costa	KTM	1m48.461	+0.160	201.1Km/h
4	K. Singhapong	KTM	1m48.515	+0.214	202.2Km/h
5	M. Marulanda	KTM	1m48.517	+0.216	203.0Km/h
6	T. Borg	KTM	1m48.728	+0.427	200.3Km/h
7	Y. Karpushin	KTM	1m48.750	+0.449	206.1Km/h
8	B. Fernandez	KTM	1m48.785	+0.484	203.0Km/h
9	D. Gonzalez	KTM	1m48.877	+0.576	203.7Km/h
10	G. Pugliese	KTM	1m48.991	+0.690	202.2Km/h
11	K. Tinez	KTM	1m48.996	+0.695	200.3Km/h
12	S. Mounsey	KTM	1m49.017	+0.716	201.4Km/h
13	A. Daquigan	KTM	1m49.036	+0.735	203.7Km/h
14	K. Daniel	KTM	1m49.070	+0.769	203.7Km/h
15	G. Planques	KTM	1m49.121	+0.820	203.0Km/h
16	R. Ogiwara	KTM	1m49.196	+0.895	204.5Km/h
17	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	1m49.202	+0.901	199.2Km/h
18	C. Borrelli	KTM	1m49.209	+0.908	201.8Km/h
19	F. Kratochwil	KTM	1m49.221	+0.920	203.7Km/h
20	A. Almeida	KTM	1m49.233	+0.932	202.2Km/h
21	E. Sparks	KTM	1m49.262	+0.961	203.3Km/h
22	T. Varga	KTM	1m49.349	+1.048	200.0Km/h
23	A. Fernandez	KTM	1m49.381	+1.080	203.0Km/h
24	L. Agostinelli	KTM	1m49.646	+1.345	202.2Km/h
25	J. Van Crugten	KTM	1m49.944	+1.643	203.3Km/h
26	A. Schmidt	KTM	1m50.341	+2.040	202.2Km/h