- 17-year-old enters second season
- Points in the bag
- Aiming for better results all season
South Africa seems to be a real hotbed of motorcycle talent of late. The latest rider looking to add his name to the growing list of two-wheel stars is Kgopotso ‘KJ’ Mononyane. The 17-year-old Pretoria lad has just entered his second full season of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup is a breeding ground for young talent. It is an official feeder series for MotoGP, with several of the current winners and champions in MotoGP having cut their teeth in this one-make series. Mononyane is following on from the likes of the Binder brothers, Brad and Darryn, whose exploits are well known, as well as Ruche Moodley who has just stepped onto the world stage in the Moto3 series.
Mononyane is competing in his second season of this hotly contested series, and is the sole representative from South Africa in the field, which he takes very seriously, “Representing my country on the world stage has been both an honour and a profound responsibility. Competing internationally allows me to showcase the talent and determination that South African riders bring to the sport, and I am deeply proud to carry our flag in these prestigious arenas.”
This past weekend was the opening round of the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, which took place at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain. The seven-round series takes place on the same weekend as the MotoGP categories at selected European circuits.
“I was really excited to start this second season in Rookies Cup. 2024 was a learning year, and I managed to achieve a top six finish. With more experience of racing and competing at this level I am keen to improve and impress,” he said going into the race weekend.
Race one in Jerez was a frenetic affair with newcomers to the fold all trying to stamp their authority early on. The number 45 machine of KJ had a race-long battle in a six-rider pack. He held on to take 14th place, earning two points in the process. Race two was more of the same, manic action. KJ performed even better, claiming 12th place and even more points, taking his tally on the weekend to half a dozen.
“I’m happy how this weekend turned out, finishing both races in the points and finishing only nine seconds behind the race winner is a big improvement from last year. I know that I’m going in the right direction and I know what I need to do to arrive at the front of the field,” concluded Mononyane.
