Who takes the Red Bull Rookies Cup Trophies at the Sachsenring?
Stars are made at the Sachsenring. That has been the case for a hundred years. More recently, Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup winners at the Sachsenring have gone on to win World Championships. Including Jorge Martín, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Pedro Acosta, David Alonso and José Rueda.
So different to the level layout of Assen, the Sachsenring is famous for dramatic elevation changes. A full 270 degrees of left-hand corners, rise, fall and rise again in a varying radius sweep that then throws the riders into a right-hand plunge.
Winner at home
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An incredible test, the track is new to most. A significant exception is Fynn Kratochwil, for the 15-year-old scored one of his 12 victories here in last year’s Northern Talent Cup on his way to domination of his home series.
Making his mark in this year’s Rookies Cup. Kratochwil scored two brilliant podiums at Mugello. Assen was more frustrating, a 17th and a fall, but in Germany, the home crowd will help him regain the Italian form. Very much on form is Carlos Cano, an Assen win and a fourth propelled the 16-year-old Spaniard to 9th in the points table.
A record of winners
Into the second half of the season and 8 of the 14 races gone, we have already had 5 different winners. The record was 8, in 2011 when Lorenzo Baldassarri took the Cup having only scored 2 victories. This season, Beñat Fernandez has 3 wins so far, and apart from Ryota Ogiwara, who has 2 thanks to his incredible Mugello double, the others are single race winners, Kiandra Ramadhipa, David González and most recently Cano.
González is on the pace with 2nd in Assen Race 2, and Ramadhipa has Sachsenring form. The 16-year-old Indonesian led most of Race 1 last year before finishing 2nd to Cup winner Brian Uriarte.
Fernandez doesn’t feel the need to win every race; his conservative consistency has gained him an enviable 42-point lead. Recent seasons have seen some Rookies going for the maximum number of victories, as Angel Piqueras did in 2023 with the record 9 victories from 14 races. Uriarte took 7 last year.
6 races remain, so Fernandez could still match Piqueras, but that clearly isn’t his plan. Taking the Cup is his focus, as that is the step to the World Championship.
Winners all
Mugello star Ogiwara was unlucky in Assen, an excellent 4th in Race 1 was followed by a fall in Race 2, a ‘nothing’ slide off, too early on the throttle to get the drive onto the back straight. Turning 18 in October, he will be keen to show that his record 8 consecutive race wins in last year’s Asia Talent Cup on the way to taking the title, plus a great showing in this year’s Red Bull Rookies Cup, are enough to gain him a Grand Prix place in 2027.
He might follow in ex-Rookie Ai Ogura’s shoes, the Japanese ace became the most recent MotoGP winner in Assen. Ex-Rookies won all three GPs in Assen as well as the MotoGP Sprint. Ex-Rookies are leading all three 2026 World Championships: Jorge Martín in MotoGP, Manuel González Moto2 and Màximo Quiles Moto3.
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