Up and coming British youngsters Scott Ogden and Josh Whatley have been named as the first riders to compete as part of the brand-new VisionTrack Honda squad formed to develop burgeoning UK talent on the international stage.
Founded by ex-MotoGP rider and BSB race winner Michael Laverty, VisionTrack Honda will compete in the 2022 Moto3 World Championship boasting an ethos similar to that of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Racing, which has enjoyed huge success through its strategy of nurturing Italian talent.
Leading the all-British charge will be 17-year old Ogden, currently fourth in the immensely competitive Spanish-based CEV Moto3 series with one win to his name.
“I’m delighted to be moving up to the Moto3™ grid. It’s the next big step and racing at each MotoGP™ event doesn’t get much better for a rider at this stage of their career.
“Michael Laverty knows what it takes to compete at the highest levels of the sport and I am excited about working with him and the team he is putting together. It gives me an excellent start in Moto3™ and I want to help them achieve strong results.”
Whatley, meanwhile, will also make the step from the domestic series to the international stage. The less experienced of the two riders at 15-year old, Whatley has achieved a best result of ninth thus far and is to benefit from tuition from the MLav VisionTrack Academy.
The formation of VisionTrack Honda comes in a year that has seen no British representation on the MotoGP grid on a full-time basis, while only three riders total - Sam Lowes, Jake Dixon and John McPhee - compete across the three classes.
