The Moto3™ class has a habit of producing rookie riders who take the class by storm, a certain Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) springs to mind. The likes of Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team) didn’t fare too badly either in their maiden campaigns in the lightweight class category, while a number of others have made considerable impressions in their debut season on the World Championship stage.
Taiyo Furusato analyzes his last two years in the #IATC where he got the first Championship of his career ????
— Asia Talent Cup (@AsiaTalentCup) January 27, 2022
Next season he will debut in the #Moto3 World Championship and the goal is clear ????#RoadToMotoGP???? pic.twitter.com/K9W6xn1qFW
Looking ahead to 2022, and there’s a new rider on the block hoping to emulate the feats of some of the riders mentioned, and in particular, those of the reigning Moto3™ World Champion. 16-year-old Japanese rider Taiyo Furusato is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from Asia in recent years, with the current Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Champion securing a seat with Honda Team Asia for the season ahead, and he has already set his sights on the biggest of prizes.
“I would like to be a World Champion, I know it’s super difficult, but this year Pedro Acosta won it being a rookie, so my goal is to be the Moto3™ World Champion next year.”
Furusato’s record so far is quite impressive, dominating the 2021 ATC with seven victories in seven outings, while he also took the win on his Red Bull Rookies Cup debut at Mugello last season.
“For me, the Rookies Cup was a good experience because those riders are stronger and they fight a lot, so it was a good experience for me. It was important for me (to win the IATC) because I didn’t have a title. It was my first Championship, so it was important!”
You can watch the full interview with Furusato in the tweet above, or over on the Asia Talent Cup social media pages. We look forward to seeing if the Japanese rider can deliver on his early promise in 2022.