Age change for World Championship

Added on Wednesday, December 24th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

The Spanish governing body of motorcycling, the FIM, have announced a change to the minimum age for people wishing to compete in the World Championship. The current age at which a rider can compete is 15 when entered into the 125cc category. This minimum age will increase to 16 in 2010.
This will bring the age limit in line with 250, where competitors must be 16 or over, Moto GP’s minimum competitor age remains at 18.

The decision has been met with widespread approval across the sector, with Loris Capirossi, who holds the record for youngest world champion voicing his support to Gazetta dello Sport. When asked about the age change, he recognised that it is a necessary change to prevent injury to young players and to allow them to have the extra time to improve their skill locally. He highlighted the difficulty of moving straight from local events to international ones and said that raising the age boundary would have a positive impact upon riders.

Capirossi put his success at a young age down to experience, having been riding for two years before he entered the European Championships and recognised that many young riders do not necessarily have such levels of experience when entering into the sport.

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