The MRRDA series will be an Australian championship in 2013.

Motorcycling Australia has announced the granting of Australian championship status to two Junior classes in road racing.

The categories include 12–U16-year-old 85cc two-stroke, plus 12–U16-year-old 160cc four-stroke.

The championships will be conducted in conjunction with the MRRDA (Motorcycle Road Race Development Association) series.

Motorcycling Australia is confident this decision will be an important next step for our future road racing stars.

“Junior road racing has been established for some years and championship status is important to enhance the future development of our young riders,” MA president Stephen Foody said.

“These classes will be the starting point of a career path for all young road racers to hopefully enable them to emulate the careers of the likes of Wayne Gardner, Michael Doohan, Casey Stoner and Troy Bayliss.

“The MRRDA have been fundamental to the development of Junior Road Racing in Australia and we are grateful for their initiatives and determination in what has been a challenging task.”

The chairman of the MRRDA Paul Edwards is extremely pleased with this progress.

“The Junior classes have now been active for seven consecutive years here in Australia as we’ve worked hard to build a strong nursery for the sport,” Edwards said.

“With the likes of Mike Jones, Josh Hook, Jack Miller, Adrian Nestorovic and Matt Walters to name just a few coming through the MRRDA Juniors, it’s great to see the series and the work recognised for the series participants with Junior National Championships.

“We know that this will mean a lot to the kids and the people that have helped the series along the way. It’s a good step in the right direction and just one of many that we need to take to ensure that we continue to have Australian world champions in the sport.

“As I’ve said from day one, if we all work together we can achieve great things. I’m looking forward to our first Junior National Champions and seeing them go on to become Australian world champions.”

For more information on the MRRDA please visit www.mrrda.com or contact Paul Edwards on 0409 606 175 or [email protected].