Source: Supplied.

Australian Reid Battye is one of 17 riders to be selected – with a further seven on standby – for the 2017 Asia Talent Cup following the selection event at Sepang in Malaysia on Wednesday.

A group of 114 aspiring young riders were in attendance at the Sepang International Circuit as the selection event for the 2017 Asia Talent Cup took place under the watchful eye of Cup director Alberto Puig.

“It was a long day, but finally we reached a decision,” Puig commented. “It’s always difficult because you can make mistakes, but we are happy with the selection. The weather was great throughout the day and no-one was injured, which are two important points. We hope to have a fresh group of riders next season and we are looking forward to 2017.”

The large group of boys and girls attending the trial included riders from Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China, New Zealand and Nepal. The riders varied in age from 12 to 20 years old.

They were greeted by warm and sunny conditions and were not hampered by tropical rainstorms, as is often the case at Sepang, as they undertook their trial on the 1.247km Sepang Kart Circuit. All the riders participated in two initial 10-minute sessions on Honda Wave Alpha 110CV bikes, with the selection committee gradually choosing riders to progress into a final selection group.