Source: Supplied.

Australians Senna Agius, Benjamin Baker and Billy Van Eerde are amongst 14 riders selected for the 2018 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup series following this week’s selection event at Sepang in Malaysia.

Over 85 aspiring riders from many different countries took part in the event, featuring boys and girls aged 11 to 21 making the journey in effort to boost their careers.

The track was hot from the start, with sunny and humid conditions remaining until some early afternoon rain – a typical storm in Malaysia. Once the track was dry once again, action resumed to choose the riders ready to line up next year.

All the riders had two initial 10-minute sessions each to demonstrate why they should be selected, under the watchful eye of Alberto Puig and his team – including an appearance from MotoGP regular Jack Miller.

After the sessions, 21 riders were chosen to continue in the event, each given some more time on the track. All the candidates were riding Honda CBR 250R machines on the Sepang Go-Kart Circuit – making it a real taster of the cup on the same bike they will compete on in 2018.

It was revealed earlier this week that Van Eerde has also been selected for the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2018, indicating his worth in both of the prestigious programs.

2018 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup selected riders:
Muhamad Pawi
Afridza Munandar
Mario Aji
Mohammad Putra
Muhammad Fachrul
Master Saengsawang
Troy Alberto
Yousef Al-Darwish
Senna Agius
Benjamin Baker
Billy Van Eerde
Toshiki Senda
Naoki Yamada
Sho Nishmura