NTC season kicks off at Oschersleben
After months of preparation and anticipation, the 2023 season finally kicked off with the official pre season test for the Northern Talent Cup taking place at Oschersleben. It also marked a new chapter for both the rider, #55 Anakin Zelenak, as well as the our JRP Academy.
For Anakin, one of the Academy’s longest affiliated riders, it was a big step into the unknown, having to get used to a new championship, new rivals, as well as the working procedures of a new team. Despite all these changes he managed to acquit himself very well, finish day one in 12th position and managing to keep calm despite a crash and some technical issues on a wet the second day.
The young 14 year old reported: “I had a good start and felt well on the bike. At the end of the first day I managed to finish in P12 which I was happy with being a rookie. Thursday was a bit more difficult with changing weather conditions, as I didn’t have any prior experience with wet weather tyres. Sadly, I did have two small crashes and some technical difficulties, but despite this it was a positive test with plenty of track time. I want to thank my team, which did some fantastic work here in Oschersleben and always managed to fix the bike and get me back out on track after a crash.”
Team Manager, Alexander Josefson, described the test as positive with room for improvement: “I think we can leave Oschersleben with a smile. We managed to try some different ideas on the first day and could find a clear direction to go with our setup on the second day. Despite this, we lost a lot of time on the second day with the weather and some technical issues, which was quite frustrating. Despite this, I think this was a positive start that we can build our season on. It’s clear we still have a lot of work to do, especially on setup with the bike, but I’m confident we will improve this aspect in the next events.
Next up for the NTC team is race 1 alongside Worldsbk in Assen, whilst the Academy’s MiniGP team will start their season with the first of two tests at the Red Bull Ring in a weeks time.
