When I was 15 and a half, dreaming of a GP ride, I raced around behind Yamaha’s corporate office in Cypress, California, on my Yamaha RD250. Clad in blue jeans and skateboard pads, with sheetmetal sliders made from a vandalized stop sign, I scraped up the street in hopes of scraping up some kind of support ride. It didn’t happen. Luckily, kids today have a chance with the Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup, a racing series for up-and-coming 13-16-year-old roadracers. The riders come from all over: Brazil, Canada, California, even the Caribbean. They don’t wear blue jeans with sheetmetal sliders, either: custom-made blue-and-white Alpinestars suits, boots and gloves are provided—if you make the cut. During the two-day tryout I attended, a group of 600 applicants was narrowed down to 125, of whom 23 became official Rookies Cup riders.
Like the participants, the bikes are serious racers. They’re equally prepared 140-pound KTM RC125 water-cooled single-cylinder two-strokes that put out around 45 horsepower. A massive beam frame, fully adjustable WP suspension, Dunlop slicks and a single Brembo monobloc front brake are pieces of the puzzle. Aside from a different power valve, a slightly altered crankcase and updated frame, these bikes are the same as the $60,000 bikes KTM sells to select Grand Prix teams. And the answer is no, you can’t buy one; they’re imported solely to the States for the Rookies Cup series.
The bikes may be small in size, but they’re big on quality parts.
Money also can’t buy the knowledge of the experienced mechanics—one for every two bikes—provided by the series organizers. All the mechanics report to KTM factory-trained Uli Toporsch, who builds every engine himself and has the final say over each of the racebikes. Cranks are changed every 1300-1400 miles, pistons at 300-500 miles. “We do not risk the safety of the riders with chance of mechanical failure,” Toporsch told me.
Before I headed out on track on one of these micro-missiles, I sought out some advice from this master mechanic. “Keep it above 50 and below 70 Centigrade!” were his last words as I rolled away from Red Bull’s GP-style 18-wheel transporter. Not too helpful, but fortunately, Kevin Schwantz’s insight is also included in Rookies Cup program. I asked him to show me around Barber, but as I’m too old to be a rookie, his only advice to me was, “The track goes that way,” accompanied by a finger pointed north.
Riding the bike is tricky for anybody, even an expert. The RC125 doesn’t idle, the tach starts at three grand and the powerband is very narrow, so it has to be revved hard and ridden on the pipe. I clicked it down into the tall first gear of the six-speed gearbox, fanned the clutch and pulled away from a big blue cloud of smoke. Though the bike redlines at 14,000 rpm, power starts to drop past 13,000 rpm. From the first corner you begin to realize the 125 gives new meaning to “effortless turn-in.” Unneeded input only slows you down. Small capacity two-strokes are all about momentum and keeping corner speeds high. Just point your chin into a corner and you’re turned. The handling is so great, it’s uncanny.
Because of strict operating restrictions and a rigorous maintenance schedule, Toporsch only let me have 15 minutes of seat time, which was over way to soon. I had just enough time to learn the Barber Motorsports Park circuit and how capable the KTM Rookies Cup bikes are. The entire program is very impressive and sure to provide some great racing action this year. The best thing about the series—besides the awesome little bikes—is that it gives wings and a place to fly to young Grand Prix hopefuls.
Upcoming Red Bull Rookies Cup Races: Road America, Wisconsin June 8, 2008; Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, California (4th and 5th Rounds) July 19, 2008; Mid-Ohio Raceway, Ohio August 3, 2008; Virginia International Raceway, Virginia August 17, 2008; Road Atlanta, Georgia August 31, 2008; Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana September 13, 2008; Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, California September 28, 2008; Valencia, Spain (Riders Cup) October 25, 2008.
