03/12/2022

Intact GP Juniors gear up for 2023

After Lukas Tulovic’s Moto2™ European Championship title win this year, runner-up Senna Agius from Australia is expected to follow in his footsteps. In JuniorGP Moto3, Jakob Rosenthaler from Upper Austria is a fixed seed.

German based LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team will continue to put its heart and soul into promoting young talent in motorcycle racing in 2023. The Memmingen-based outfit will once again compete in the most important junior racing series. With Senna Agius and Jakob Rosenthaler, the first riders for the FIM Moto2™ European Championship and the FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship can be confirmed.

Senna Agius is only 17 years old and has immediately established himself in Moto2™ European Championship this year. Agius hails from Camden, not far from Sydney in the Australian state of New South Wales but has a base in Andorra during the European season. He rose through the ranks in Asia Talent Cup before Agius gained his first experience at the international level in Moto3™ Junior World Championship and moved to Moto2 category in European Championship for 2022. There he finished his rookie season with two wins and as runner-up in the overall standings. He also finished on the podium in every race except for two retirements, with a ninth-place finish at the Valencia Grand Prix particularly standing out as a substitute rider for Sam Lowes. Most recently, Agius contested the last two race weekends in Australian Superbike Championship, where he even finished on the podium once last Sunday. With this impressive series Agius recommended himself for Intact GP. Together they want to defend the championship title next year, which Lukas Tulovic clinched this year for the team from the Allgäu region.

For 16-year-old Jakob Rosenthaler from the Upper Austrian capital of Linz, 2022 was also a debut season in FIM JuniorGP™ World Championship, which has always been regarded as a springboard to Grand Prix racing. Rosenthaler delivered a decent showcase of talent in the process. Under the proven supervision and great experience in promoting young talent from Memmingen, Rosenthaler is expected to take further steps in his development in the coming season in order to recommend himself along the way for the big leap into the world championship.

The new season is expected to start at the beginning of May with the opening race in Estoril, Portugal.

JuniorGP™ Provisional Calendar 2023:

06/07 May: Circuito do Estoril (Estoril, Portugal)

20/21 May: Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana (Valencia, Spain)

03/04 June: Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain)

01/02 July: Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimao, Portugal)

15/16 July: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Montmeló, Spain)

07/08 October: MotorLand Aragón (Alcaniz, Spain)

04/05 November: Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana (Valencia, Spain)

Dirk REISSMANN

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team
Team manager

"We are very pleased that we were able to win Senna Agius, our strongest competitor from last season, for our team. Senna did not just make life difficult for us on the one or other occasion. With his performance, he has raised the level of this championship significantly and in doing so he pushed several riders, including Lukas, forward. So, it is really great that a young rider with this high potential is now part of our team. In addition, Senna has already gained experience as a substitute rider in several Grand Prix and last but not least, has proven his talent in Australian Superbike Championship either. We are very much looking forward to working with him in the European Moto2 Championship. He will be a very important building block for our junior team, and I think we can achieve a lot together. We clearly want to be in the hunt for the title. It certainly will not be a walk in the park, because every year one or two talents turn up that you do not expect at the moment. But we are in a good position and should have all the prerequisites to achieve our goal."

"Jakob, on the other hand, has developed very well over the course of the season. It was not easy for us as a team at the beginning, but we were aware of that. But the longer the championship lasted, the more stable his performances became. In addition, he improved significantly in battles for positions. From our point of view, Jakob has created a good base for himself to take the next steps in the coming year. The second year in this top-class series is enormously important for every young rider, so we are glad that we were able to realize it together with all our partners. We are very happy that everything is now signed and sealed. He really deserves to stay with us for a second year and continue to develop. From our point of view, he has by no means exhausted his potential, and there is still plenty of room for improvement. With the knowledge and experience gained this year, Jakob will start the new season completely differently prepared, in which we see ourselves with him regularly among the top ten. Perhaps one or the other absolute highlight will also succeed. Top 5 finishes, on the other hand, should sometimes be feasible. That should be the goal for 2023. Apart from these two commitments, there are many discussions about the remaining team places. It would be nice if these could be filled before the turn of the year."

#81 Senna AGIUS

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto2, KALEX)

"I am very happy about signing with Intact GP for next year. It will be my second season in the European Moto2 Championship, where I seriously want to fight for the title. This is the logical goal because the team has a lot of experience, so I can learn a lot from them. I think we can do a good job and I am looking forward to starting the new season together."

#78 Jakob ROSENTHALER

LIQUI MOLY Husqvarna Intact GP Junior Team (Moto3, Husqvarna)

"I am very happy to stay with Intact GP next year. We had a good season this year where everything was new, both for the team and for me in JuniorGP. But we started at a good point, and we developed well from race to race. The lap times got better and better and the gap to the top got smaller. When we scored out first points at mid-season in Portimao it was a great partial success and at the next race in Misano we went straight into the top 10. We were very happy about that. The atmosphere in the team is great. In addition, the cohesion with my crew, starting with Edgar, my crew chief, is perfect. I hope that he will be at my side next year again, because I also get along well with my mechanics."

"It is a super team where fun is not neglected either because that is also part of it. There is a very familiar relationship with everyone. That includes the team bosses Jürgen Lingg and Stefan Keckeisen, and of course our team manager Dirk Reissmann. For 2023, I have set myself the goal of continuing my performance curve uphill, with the aim of consistently finishing in the top five and, if everything works out, even making it onto the podium a time or two. But before that, I would like to thank the entire team for the great cooperation this year, as well as the team management for their confidence in me to be part of the team again in 2023."