EJC winner prepares with Honda champions
Augusto Fernandez at the English Institute of Sport for pre-season assessments.
Augusto Fernandez, winner of the 2014 Pata European Junior Cup, has completed a pre-season test with a number of other Honda riders from a variety of racing disciplines. But this test did not involve riding motorcycles; instead, the 17-year-old Spanish rider visited the English Institute of Sport (EIS) near London in the UK this week to undergo a series of physical tests and assessments.
He was in some illustrious Honda company for the visit and shared the EIS facilities with a number of racers at the very top of their game, including 2014 World Superbike champion, Sylvain Guintoli; 2014 World Supersport champion, Michael van der Mark; 21-time Isle of Man TT winner, John McGuinness; and 2013 Enduro World champion Alex Salvini.
Young Fernandez triumphed in last season’s European Junior Cup in which all competitors rode identical versions of Honda’s versatile CBR500R machine and his prize was a ride in the 2015 FIM Superstock 600 European Championship on a Honda CBR600RR.
On 12 April at Aragon in Spain, Fernandez will begin his assault on the title that was won in 2012 by Holland’s Michael van der Mark, who then progressed through the World Supersport series and, for 2015, will partner Sylvain Guintoli in the Pata Honda World Superbike championship on Honda’s flagship CBR1000RR Fireblade SP.
This year’s Pata European Junior Cup, which is open to young male racers aged 14-21, will run Honda’s stunning CBR650F machine and incorporate the FIM Europe Women’s European Cup for female riders from 14 to 23 years.
Gerry Bryce, series director for the Pata European Junior Cup, said: “It’s fantastic to see the progression from the EJC to Stock 600 for Augusto and, of course, it’s from there that Michael van der Mark launched his own journey to become World Supersport champion and now a Honda World Superbike rider. With the new Honda CBR650F and the Women’s European Cup as part of the 2015 series, we've had a fantastic response and there are just a handful of places remaining now. It’s going to be a busy and exciting year!”
Augusto Fernandez said: “It’s fantastic for me to be preparing for this new season here at the EIS in the company of all these amazing Honda champions. It was amazing to win the European Junior Cup last year and now I am very excited to be taking part in the Superstock 600 series on the CBR600RR. I cannot wait for the season to start.”
For further information including a registration form for the 2015 EJC, please visit www.europeanjuniorcup.com
