Kristian Daniel Jr. to step in for Evan Belford for the opening round of the season.
Following an injury sustained by Evan Belford during training last week, American rider Kristian Daniel Jr. will join the team for the opening round of the FIM Moto Junior World Championship this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Belford suffered a fracture to the second metacarpal in his left hand on Monday 11th May while preparing for the start of the season. The British rider is currently awaiting further medical assessment to determine whether surgery will be required, but he has already been ruled out of the opening round in Barcelona.
With an American rider stepping into the team for the weekend, the structure will compete under the name American Talent Team for the opening round of the season.
Kristian Daniel Jr., from Los Angeles, California, will take over riding duties aboard the team’s Honda machinery. The American began his racing career in 2015 and already has experience within the Moto Junior paddock, having competed in the category last season with the AGR Team.
For 2026, the #70 has focused his campaign on the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, currently competing in his third season in the category.
Kristian Daniel Jr.: “I’m super excited to be racing the opening round of the Moto Junior season in Barcelona. It was a last-minute opportunity following Evan’s injury, so first of all I want to wish him a speedy recovery. I can’t wait to start working with the team this weekend and I’ll be giving it 100% from the very first session.”
Macauley Webb (Team Manager): “First of all, we want to wish Evan a speedy recovery. It’s a real shame for him to suffer this injury after all the hard work and preparation he’s put in over the off-season ahead of the new campaign.
Obviously, it’s disappointing not to have him with us for the opening round, but right now the most important thing is making sure he recovers properly and can come back fully fit as soon as possible.
At the same time, we’re really excited to welcome Kristian into the team for Barcelona. He already has experience within the Moto Junior paddock and we’re looking forward to working with him this weekend.
We’d also like to thank the Road to MotoGP programme for helping make this opportunity possible for Kristian to step in and replace Evan for the opening round.”
The FIM Moto Junior World Championship gets underway this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a venue that holds strong memories for the team after securing a dominant victory by more than seven seconds with Marco Morelli in race two last season.