Time to go flat out for victory. KTM’s home race in Austria will decide the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2026. 7 riders can mathematically still win the 20th season, and it is certainly wide open between the top 3 in the points table.
Being cool, calm and calculating served Beñat Fernandez perfectly through the first half of the season. The 18-year-old Spaniard won the first race of the year in Jerez, and with 3rd in Race 2 retained the points lead, which is still his going into the final two races at the Red Bull Ring.
More wins needed
Having taken 3 race victories and another 3 podiums in the first 8 races, he accumulated 148 points. But Fernandez has only scored another 6 points in the last 4 races. His lead, with 2 races and 50 points still to be won, is just 8. Ryota Ogiwara is his closest rival, but even the 18-year-old Japanese has faltered in his challenge.
Ogiwara’s brilliant victory in Race 1 at the Sachsenring closed the points gap to Fernandez significantly. Then both of them fell in Race 2. At Misano, Fernandez was way off his expected form, finishing 12th and 14th, but Ogiwara was only marginally better, 10th and 7th. Not disasterous by Ogiwara, but a long way short of his masterful Mugello double victory.
More joining the battle
Of course, it is Ogiwara’s first Cup season, and all the circuits are new to him, while Fernandez is in season 2. Fernando Bujosa is also a first year Rookie but the 17-year-old Spaniard has not let that inhibit him, and Race 1 victory in Misano showed how determined he is. 4th in Race 2 pushed his points score further, so he is now just 19 behind Fernandez.
Misano’s Race 2 winner Carlos Cano is 41 points behind Fernandez so the Spanish 16-year-old’s chance of taking the Cup is probably only mathematical and he shares that reality with Kristian Daniel Jr., Fynn Kratochwil and Kiandra Ramadhipa.
Chasing Grand Prix success
Of course, the glory of race victory is open to everyone, plus a top 3 finish in Rookies Cup allows you to race in the Moto3 World Championship at 17 instead of 18. It was that dispensation that saw Maximo Quiles race in the 2025 World Championship and score 3 GP wins on his way to 3rd in the Championship despite missing the first 2 races while he waited for his 17th birthday. The ex-Rookie now leads the 2026 World Championship by 107 points after his 11th GP win in Misano on Sunday.
Fellow ex-Rookie Manuel Gonzalez extended his lead in the Moto2 World Championship with his 10th Grand Prix victory in Italy, and Jorge Martín shares the top of the points table in MotoGP.
Win with BOTB.com
For more info checkout our dedicated Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup News page Rookies Cup News
Or visit the official Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup website rookiescup.redbull.com/
* Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission (at no cost to you) if you click on the link and make a purchase. Any money made goes straight back into the website and magazine. Your support is appreciated!
