Junior GP: The Last Stage Before The Big Show

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There's Nothing Junior About it

Many outside of Europe are unaware - or only dimly aware - of the FIM JuniorGP series. It exists somewhere between the International-level MotoGP World Championship and the Superbike World Championships that Dorna operates, the top echelons of the sport, and the National-level series that generally take place in a single country. Formerly run in conjunction with the Spanish national series, the FIM JuniorGP series raced at seven circuits in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France in 2025. For a series that races in four countries, it's remarkably accessible. From a central point drawn from the most far-flung circuits, the drive to the furthest course is only a bit more than 600 miles, or about a day's drive.

Attend one of the JuniorGP events, especially one in Spain, and you really get a sense of why Spanish riders dominate the sport of motorcycle road racing. The smaller series - the minor leagues, if you will - in the sport attract crowds, professional teams and Grand Prix-level riding talent. A recent event at the Circuito de Valencia saw the grandstands along the main straight substantially full, a solid number of spectators roaming the infield, and the paddock filled. And during the paddock walk, spectators absolutely packed the hot pit lane, getting autographs from riders and taking selfies.

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JuniorGP Moto2 competitors use the same machinery as the International-level Moto2 World Championship racers.

The series isn't the terminal point of a rider's career. There's not enough money for an athlete to make riding here a full-time job. But the series' profile is high enough, and there are enough Grand Prix-level operations fielding teams here, that a rider with talent can move up to the International Grand Prix level, the goal of every rider. And here, at the JuniorGP level, riders get experience in dealing with all of the off-track elements of the job. They deal with fans, television interviews, and the immense pressure to perform that is part of every professional athlete's job. Racing and learning in the JuniorGP series is part of the journey of many, many young Spanish racers. Watching them do well here, in what is very much a stage rehearsal for International-level competition, makes you understand why they do so well when they move up to the Big Show.