2014 Pata European Junior Cup, now with added opportunity
Winner of WSBK support series will test with Pata Honda World Supersport team run by successful Ten Kate organisation.
The Pata European Junior Cup has announced an exciting additional prize for the winner of the 2014 series that supports eight European rounds of the World Superbike Championship.
In addition to a Honda CBR600RR ride in the 2015 FIM European Superstock 600 championship, this year’s EJC winner will also be invited to take part in an exclusive post-season test with the Pata Honda World Supersport championship team.
The Pata European Junior Cup, in which riders compete on identical Honda CBR500R machines, has already established itself as a fertile breeding ground for future racing stars with a clear career progression to world championship level.
Several former EJC competitors, including 2013 champion Jake Lewis, will this year compete in World Superbike support categories such as the Superstock 600 series which, in turn, has unearthed aces such as Pata Honda’s current Dutch ace Michael van der Mark.
His World Supersport team, run by the famous Ten Kate organization in The Netherlands, has won no fewer than eight world championship titles over the last 11 years and the opportunity to test the same Honda CBR600RR that is campaigned by van der Mark and his team-mate Lorenzo Zanetti is a rare and precious opportunity for any aspiring racer.
This season’s Pata European Junior Cup will kick off at Aragon in Spain on Sunday 13 April and then visit seven other famous European circuits – Assen, Imola, Donington Park, Misano, Portimao, Jerez and Magny-Cours – as part of the 2014 World Superbike championship programme.
For further information and to apply for remaining places in the 2014 Pata European Junior Cup, riders should visit www.europeanjuniorcup.com.
Gerry Bryce – European Junior Cup series director
The prize for winning the 2014 European Junior Cup is already pretty stunning with a ride in next year’s Superstock 600 series. The opportunity of testing with the most successful team in World Supersport history is an amazing addition to that prize and one for which we are very grateful to Honda and the team. The EJC championship has shown that it discovers impressive racing talent and this just underlines the career progression that’s offered by the series and by Honda.
Ronald ten Kate – Pata Honda team manager
We watch the European Junior Cup very closely – not only because we’re always looking for young riders with potential but also because it’s fantastic racing! We’re happy that there is a clear ladder of advancement with Honda through the EJC, European Superstock and World Supersport championships that could take the right rider all the way up to World Superbike level. Testing one of our CBR600RRs at the end of the season will allow us to evaluate the potential of the European Junior Cup winner as soon as possible before they step up to Superstock 600.