Pata extends support of European Junior Cup and new STK600 team

Italy’s favourite snack manufacturer, Pata, has committed its continued support of Honda young rider programmes with the 2015 European Junior Cup and a two-rider team in the FIM European Superstock 600 championship.

The announcement was made during Saturday’s presentation of the Pata Honda World Superbike and World Supersport teams, featuring Sylvain Guintoli, Michael van der Mark and Kyle Smith, during the Motor Bike Expo fair at Verona in Italy.

This season’s Pata European Junior Cup features a higher upper-age limit for male riders – up from 19 to 21 years – and incorporates the all new FIM Women’s European Cup for female riders aged 14-23.

A local Italian rider, 16-year-old Matteo Ciprietti, who is contesting this season’s Pata European Junior Cup on Honda’s CBR650F machine, took part in yesterday’s presentation in Verona, sharing the stage with two reigning world champions, Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark.

Also on stage was the 2014 Pata European Junior Cup champion, Augusto Fernandez from Spain. The 17-year-old’s prize for his title is a ride in this season’s Superstock 600 European championship in the Pata Junior team. He will partner Italian Supersport champion Federico Caricasulo, 18, on a Pata Honda CBR600RR in the seven-round series which kicks off at Aragon in Spain on 11 April.

Carlo Fiorani of Honda Motor Europe’s motorsport department said: “Honda’s junior racing programme is very important to the company since it is always our ambition to grow young riders in the sport. You can see with Michael van der Mark, who won the Superstock 600 championship in 2012 and is now competing in the World Superbike championship, that the programme really works.

“The European Junior Cup continues to be a very important part of our programme,” he continued, “and the winner of this series gets a ride in the Superstock 600 championship, so this is really where the champions of the future are discovered.”