Five years ago, the World Championship was in Phillip Island for the 2017 edition of the Australian Grand Prix. In the premier class, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) went from pole to victory to claim 25 points on his way to another world title, while Miguel Oliveira, now of factory KTM fame, took the win in the intermediate class.
Neither of those races saw a Champion crowned, but that wasn’t the case in Moto3™, where a young rider known as Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) ascended to the lightweight class throne. Riding for Leopard racing at the time, he saw off the challenge of Romano Fenati to take the title off the coast of Melbourne, which helped him follow in the footsteps of fellow Mallorcan Jorge Lorenzo and become a motorcycle racing World Champion.
Fast forward five years, and we could see history repeat itself with another young Mallorcan on the precipice of glory in Australia. Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) enters Round 18 of the Moto3™ campaign on his first match point, lording a 49-point advantage over Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), with his Aspar teammate Sergio Garcia seven points further back.
Starting out with the European Talent Cup, he then competed in the Moto3™ Junior World Championship, taking the title in 2020. It was only natural that he would get his chance on the World Championship stage, with Aspar handing him his chance in 2021.
Guevara’s rise has been meteoric, impressively debuting in the 2021 Qatar double, claiming P6 and P7 finishes. This was followed by a string of strong point-scoring finishes, with the highlight coming at COTA when he was awarded victory at the Grand Prix of the Americas. Indeed, if it wasn’t for eventual Champion Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Guevara would have been crowned Rookie of the Year.
For the current season, he ensured he wouldn’t be overshadowed by anybody, laying out his stall early. P2 in Indonesia backed up his contender credentials, before six consecutive podiums, three of which were wins, came between Round 6 & 11. Two more wins, plus another podium, have followed since, going back-to-back in Aragon and Japan which has handed him some breathing space atop the standings and, unsurprisingly, a promotion to Moto2™ next year with Aspar.
With 75 points still on the board and Guevara’s advantage at 49, it means he is on the edge of delivering yet another World Championship crown to Mallorca. Can he take advantage of this golden opportunity and put his name in lights alongside other Mallorcan sporting heroes? Make sure you tune in on October 16th to find out!