Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Association has revamped its junior programme to create a pathway to professional racing.

The association has introduced the BMRA Ohvale Mini Cup and 2B MotorSports Kawasaki SS 400 Junior Cup series, which both meet International Motorcycling Federation standards, to provide budding young stars with a route to major professional events such as MotoGP and Moto America.

“The BMRA is taking a new approach to the motorcycle racing association and the series that they are providing,” Billy Dunn, the BMRA youth development co-ordinator, said. “We have now formed relationships with other international racing organisations to be able to have that pathway to MotoGP and other professional racing series.

“The new classes we have created are run internationally already. The Ohvale class is geared towards the juniors and putting them on a path to MotoGP, and the 400 class towards getting teens and adults into Moto America and CCS/WERA [Championship Cup Series] in the United States.

“We are just setting juniors up with proper equipment and pathways to make a profession out of motorsports if that’s their desire.”

The BMRA Ohvale Mini Cup series features riders competing in three separate classes; 110cc, 160cc and 190cc. Riders aged 5 to 10 will compete in the 110cc class, 10 to 14 in the 160cc class and 14 and older in the 190cc open class.

The 2B MotorSports Kawasaki SS 400 Junior Cup series will feature riders aged 14 to 28 competing in the Junior Class and those aged 28 and older in the Masters Class, with both divisions to be contested on the Kawasaki Ninja 400 Super Sport bike.

“We have restructured the classes and machinery to be on a par with world racing organisations,” Dunn added. “We want our junior and adult racers to be able to transition and compete in international events.

“The BMRA has introduced two separate classes that are going to develop our juniors, so it’s not just like they come down here and race for a hobby but they can also look at this as a professional option.

“Motorcycle racing is not just a hobby or sport for fun. It can be a career path for many as a professional rider.”

The BMRA Ohvale Mini Cup series is aligned with the FIM’s MiniGP World Series, which creates an equal platform for young riders worldwide and enhances their opportunities to eventually compete in MotoGP.

“The BMRA have now structured our racing series and classes to meet this specification and world standards,” Dunn said. “Our main MiniGP series will be structured the same for our riders in Bermuda.

“We have plans and goals to be sanctioned by the FIM but we have to get things in place according to their guidelines and standards. That will include track space and layout, Ohvale motorcycle race bikes and the development of younger riders into this class.

“The MiniGP World Series is run globally in 15 to 18 countries and we want to be sanctioned with FIM, but we have to start our series first.

“However, we are setting our juniors up to be on that pathway and Ohvale has already given us an invitation to their finals, so these juniors still have an opportunity to get to race in the final even though we are not sanctioned yet.”

The winner in the 160cc class of the BMRA Ohvale Mini Cup series will earn the right to compete at this year’s FIM MiniGP World Series finals in Italy.

The opportunity came about through an invitation Ohvale extended to Cycle Care Limited, who are the local distributor for the bikes to be used in the BMRA Ohvale Mini Cup series.

“Ohvale is the company that makes the race bikes these juniors are going to be riding and because Cycle Care is the distributor for Ohvale race bikes, they have allowed us to invite the winner of the 160cc class to compete in the final,” Dunn said.

All racing bikes, parts and services will be provided by Cycle Care Limited.

The BMRA 2023 season is scheduled to start in May.

• For further information on the new series and other details, contact BMRA president David Jones at Davideverestjones3121@gmail.com, youth development co-ordinator Billy Dunn at billy@2bmotorsports.com or Cycle Care co-owner DeCouto at info@cyclecare.bm.