Mugello - a track for history and heroes

Mugello is always a high point in anyone’s year and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup teenagers can’t wait to get to grips with the challenging venue on their KTMs. There were 4 different winners in last year’s Cup, this year has seen 4 different victors in 4 races.

The numbers suggest that there is something special about the 5.245km snaking through the Tuscan hills. Max Quiles is the only Rookie to have 2 wins at Mugello, in 2022 and 2023. Angel Piqueras, the most prolific victor in Rookies Cup history never won here.

After a 1st and a 2nd in Le Mans, Quiles arrives in Italy as points leader by 9 over Álvaro Carpe. Brian Uriarte, Race 2 winner last time out, is a further 3 behind. Spaniards head the table from Argentine 16-year-old Valentin Perrone and Malaysian 16-year-old Hakim Danish.

Wins or points
16-year-old Quiles is the man to beat and he is awesome in Mugello but can make mistakes, he fell in Race 1 last year and in Race 2 in 2022. Carpe is Mr. Consistent, after a win in Jerez Race 2 the 16-year-old has already been thinking about the championship. But he can’t let Quiles or Uriarte gain the upper hand, he was 6th and 8th in his Mugello debut last year; that will not be enough this time.

Uriarte will be learning but the thinker has a wily head on his 15-year-old shoulders and will be in that lead pack. Expect Argentine 16-year-old Marco Morelli to be there as well. It’s his 3rd Cup season and after his costly fall in Race 1 at Le Mans, the Jerez Race 1 winner knows that he must start to close the 29-point gap to Quiles.

Certainly wins
The same goes for Rico Salmela, the Finn had a rare technical problem in Le Mans and is 7th in the points table, 3 behind Morelli. The 16-year-old is always in the hunt but needs to add his total of a single Rookies race win, Aragon 2022.

It’s the Cup’s 12th visit to Mugello and these are the 15th and 16th races. Our Sunday races are scheduled early in the day to avoid the post-MoGP track invasion when Italian fervour takes control.

And only wins
It also gives the Rookies a relaxed afternoon to watch their heroes. They might see MotoGP World Championship leader Jorge Martín, class of 2014, become the most successful Rookie. Following his Le Mans victory he has 17 wins to his name, 7 in MotoGP, 2 in Moto2 and 8 in Moto3 where he also won the World Championship.

Going to Mugello he is tied on race wins with Johann Zarco, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira. Pedro Acosta has 16.

Broadcast
This weekend’s Rookies Cup races can be seen live on www.redbull.tv and on TV stations around the world.

Race 1 is at 17:00 CEST on Saturday and Race 2 is on Sunday at 08:45, the show starts 10 minutes before the race.