Bikes: Michael Laverty and Dorna launch new British Talent Team in JuniorGP

Michael Laverty joins forces with Dorna to launch the new British Talent Team in JuniorGP.

Michael Laverty joins forces with Dorna to launch the British Talent Team in JuniorGP for the 2024 season. The team will race in two classes with four-star riders racing for the newest team on the grid.

The team is a new project for Michael Laverty who has now created a ladder system in the United Kingdom. The new team will allow selected British Talent Cup riders to make the step directly into the JuniorGP paddock.

Eddie O’Shea is the team’s first signing, who moves from the already established Junior Talent Team. He will now race in the standalone British Talent Team and will enter his fourth season in the JuniorGP paddock.

O’Shea’s best result in the JuniorGP class came in 2022 when the Brit claimed his first podium in the Championship. His podium came in Jerez, finishing second and battled with Jose Antonio Rueda for the win.

Alongside Eddie O’Shea in the JuniorGP class will be reigning British Talent Cup Champion Evan Belford. The 2023 British Talent Cup Champion jumps into the JuniorGP class after previously wildcarding in the European Talent Cup class at the end of 2023. It will be the start of a busy season with Belford also joining the Red Bull Rookies Cup next year.

In the European Talent Cup, the team will have a strong line-up where Johnny Garness will make his long-awaited return to racing. Garness suffered a head injury during a European Talent Cup test at Estoril.

The 2022 British Talent Cup Champion has shown his speed in Britain and in Europe, battling and winning races. In his Championship winning season, Garness took 12 race wins and a total of 14 podiums.

Amanuel Brinton will join Garness in the European Talent Cup class and will continue his development in the class. Brinton was a contender for this season’s British Talent Cup Championship, winning four races in 2023.

Laverty said: “It is a proud moment for us to become ’The British Talent Team’, the title encompasses our ethos. The ultimate ambition for our team is to promote talent from the UK and Ireland into the premier MotoGP class, we have now created a clear pathway, having four British Talent Cup graduates with us on the next steps of the ladder in both the European Talent Cup and JuniorGP for 2024.

“The plan is to develop our riders to graduate into our Moto3 Grand Prix team in the future; competing against the best young riders in the world is the best preparation; I feel we are laying the correct foundations for the future of British racing at the very top level of the sport.

“I want to thank Dorna for their support in this collaboration, and I welcome Eddie O’Shea, Evan Belford and Amanuel Brinton into our team, alongside the returning Johnny Garness following his injuries.”

Ana Ezpeleta, Talent Promotion Director, Dorna Sports added: “We’re really happy to announce this new collaboration with MLav Racing. We’ve worked together in a few different ways for a while, but to formalise and finally announce this whole new project makes us really proud.

“The British Isles is an important part of both motorcycle racing’s past and future, and we’re really happy to invest in that future by creating these new opportunities on the Road to MotoGP.”

Image credit: britishtalentcup.com