Goodbye records of precocity in motorcycles: the minimum ages in 2023

The 2021 season was especially tough when it came to fatal accidents . In one year, there were almost the same deaths as in the previous two decades: five between 2003 and 2020, and three in 2021.

Furthermore, that black year was made worse by the age of the deceased pilots . On May 30, during the Italian Grand Prix, 19-year -old Jason Dupasquier lost his life while competing in Moto3 Q1. Barely two months later, on July 25, Hugo Millán, 14 years old, left us when he was running the European Taltens Cup race. Another two months later, another day on the 25th (this time, September) came the last straw. the glass, with the death of Dean Berta Viñales, 15 years old, who was competing in the Supersport 300 World Championship. Previously, in 2018, Andreas Pérez, 14 years old, had already died in a FIM CEV race.

In just four months, three young drivers, two of them minors , lost their lives while competing in smaller displacements. This placed Dorna, organizer of the affected championships, in the eye of the hurricane, and together with the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), they decided to take two drastic measures: raise the minimum ages and reduce the size of the grids.

A paradigm shift in the age of motorcycle riders

What is being pursued is to create a paradigm shift in the ladder that young talents must follow to reach the top category. It is of little use to raise the minimum age in the World Cup categories if it is not done in the promotion categories. For this reason, it is a transversal measure that affects all contests.

Likewise, to prevent some riders from being left in no man’s land with its entry into force, the rise is being gradual, in two seasons: a first rise in 2022, which only affected the promotion categories. The entry ages in this 2022 season were such that:

• WSSP 300: 15 to 16 years old
• Junior World Championship (FIM CEV): from 14 to 15 years old
• MotoGP Rookies Cup: from 13 to 14 years old
• Talent Cups / PreMoto3: from 12 to 13 years old.

Second rise in the minimum age of pilots, in the 2023 season

The main affected are the two lower categories of the motorcycle world championship . Both Moto3 and Moto2, where until now you could make your debut at the age of 16 (15 if you had won the Rookies Cup or the FIM CEV the previous season), you will have to be 18 years old.

The change is quite a ‘shock’. Drivers and teams were used to being able to debut as a minor, and it is something that today is fully accepted in the DNA of the championship.

Currently, the limit is 16 years, but not so long ago it was even lower. Thus, great names such as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner or Jorge Lorenzo made their debut in the 125cc world championship at the age of 15. Much of the current MotoGP grid, if not almost all, also started in the championship as a minor (in the case of Fabio Quartararo, with 15).

In this way, the minimum ages to compete in any of the three world championship categories (MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3) are unified .

In 2023 there will also be changes in the Superbike World Championship. WSBK , like MotoGP, remain at 18, while WSSP 600 goes from 16 to 18. WSSP 300 will remain at 16, having introduced the climb in 2022.

The rest of the promotion championships (namely, the Junior World Championship/FIM CEV, the Moto2 European Championship, the MotoGP Rookies Cup and the Talent Cups/PreMoto3) go up one year to 2023.

Therefore, this is the table of minimum ages that will come into force from the next campaign 2023:

Table of minimum ages of riders by motorcycle category