Source: Supplied.

116 riders from a staggering 32 nations will converge into Guadix, Spain, next week for the 11th Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup selection event on 18-20 October.

Amongst the 116 youthful athletes vying for selection, three Australian riders of Joel Kelso, Ned Faulkhead and Reid Battye will endeavour to boost their careers by making the short list.

The event will allow riders the opportunity to showcase their skills aboard 125cc Metrakit bikes over the three days, with a panel of experts reviewing their performance before narrowing down the list of riders to 24.

The 24 successful applicants will be invited to join the Rookies Cup for 2017 to ride the championship-proven KTM RC 250 R Moto3 machines in 13 races across Europe.

For the second year running, an ex Red Bull Rookie Cup rider has won the Moto3 world championship with Brad Binder taking out the 2016 title, and Danny Kent in 2015.

Last year’s Moto2 world champion Johann Zarco, also an ex Red Bull Rookie, will make the step up to the prestigious MotoGP category in 2017.