Bujosa and Cano win as Rookies Cup title gap shrinks to eight points

2026 Red Bull Rookies Cup

Round Six – Misano

The 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup title fight will go to the final round in Austria with just eight points separating Beñat Fernandez and Ryota Ogiwara, after Fernando Bujosa and Carlos Cano shared the Misano victories.

Fernandez had already seen his advantage cut from 42 points to 17 following his double no-score at the previous round at the Sachsenring. Misano brought another difficult weekend for the Spaniard, who finished 12th and 14th while Ogiwara collected enough points from tenth and seventh to close the gap further.

Neither of the leading championship contenders reached the podium, opening the door for Bujosa to make a much bigger move. His first win of the season on Saturday, followed by fourth on Sunday, reduced his deficit from 51 points to 19.

Cano then claimed the 250th race in Rookies Cup history by just 0.055 seconds from Kristian Daniel Jr. The Spaniard’s third and first delivered the biggest points haul of the weekend and lifted him to fourth in the championship, with seven riders still mathematically in contention ahead of the final two races at Spielberg.

Qualifying

Guillem Planques claimed his second Rookies Cup pole position with a 1m44.975, the Frenchman heading a tightly packed field in which the top 16 were covered by just 0.908 seconds.

Planques and Bujosa worked together during the session, with the Frenchman using the slipstream to secure the fastest time. Bujosa was only 0.075 seconds behind, while David Da Costa completed the front row, 0.128 from pole, after setting his time without a tow.

Fernandez qualified fourth, ahead of Cano and Kiandra Ramadhipa. Both Fernandez and Cano said a late chance to improve was spoiled when they caught slower riders, but their second-row positions still put them well ahead of Ogiwara, who qualified 13th.

Kiattisak Singhapong was seventh, followed by Yaroslav Karpushin, Daniel and Sullivan Mounsey. Sachsenring pole-sitter Fynn Kratochwil qualified 12th, while Australian Archie Schmidt was 19th with a 1m46.186, 1.211 seconds from pole.

Stewards’ penalties subsequently reshaped the Race One grid. Ramadhipa, Kratochwil, Luca Agostinelli and Jurrien Van Crugten were moved to the back, occupying positions 20 to 23, while Alejandra Fernández was required to start from pit lane. That promoted Ogiwara to 11th and Schmidt to 16th.

The original qualifying order was restored for Race Two, although Singhapong carried a long-lap penalty into Sunday’s race.

Race One

Saturday’s opening race was run over 15 laps in dry conditions, with a track temperature of 36 degrees. Bujosa led away from Planques, and the pair initially established a small cushion over Daniel and the chasing pack.

Bujosa led across the line for each of the opening nine laps, with Planques second throughout that sequence. However, their advantage gradually eroded as Cano and Karpushin closed in and the race developed into a much larger fight at the front.

Planques took over at the timing line on lap ten and remained there through lap 13. Bujosa was shuffled back to sixth at the end of lap 12, but with the first seven riders covered by less than eight-tenths, the Spaniard remained firmly in contention.

Fernandez was also much closer to the front than his eventual result suggested. The championship leader climbed to fourth on lap 12, only 0.377 seconds behind Planques, before slipping to sixth and then eighth over the next two laps.

Bujosa forced his way back into the lead, including a bold move up the inside of two rivals, and was ahead again at the end of the penultimate lap. Karpushin was just 0.101 seconds behind him as they began the final tour, with Planques third and Cano fourth.

Karpushin’s challenge ended with a final-lap crash, while Bujosa produced his personal best lap of the race, a 1m45.326, when it mattered most. He won by 0.680 seconds over Planques, whose second place was his best Rookies Cup result, with Cano completing the podium, 0.908 seconds from victory.

Kratochwil crossed the line fourth after charging through from 21st on the grid, but a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap dropped him to fifth. Daniel was therefore classified fourth, ahead of Kratochwil, Da Costa and Ethan Sparks.

Singhapong recovered from 16th at the end of the opening lap to finish eighth and set the official fastest lap, a 1m44.849 on lap six. Mateo Marulanda was ninth, with Ogiwara tenth and Travis Borg 11th.

Fernandez’s final lap took 1m50.391, costing him 5.065 seconds relative to Bujosa on that lap alone. He dropped from eighth to 12th and finished 6.092 seconds behind the winner. Ogiwara gained only two points on him, reducing the championship gap to 15, but Bujosa’s victory brought another rider much closer to the title battle.

Ramadhipa, who had arrived third in the standings after winning Sunday’s Sachsenring race, crashed on lap 11 after working his way from 20th on the grid to 15th. Giulio Pugliese retired after completing 13 laps, while Mounsey crashed on the final lap, rejoined and salvaged the final point in 15th.

Fernando Bujosa – P1

“When I was in P7, I said, you know, that’s not possible. I made all the whole race at the front, pushing all the time. I could not accept not winning; I decided that it was time to go for it, so that’s what I did. The bike was great; I will change nothing for tomorrow, and I’m going to win again.”

Guillem Planques – P2

“It’s a very good weekend. Pole yesterday, and today my 2nd place is my best result in Rookies Cup. It was a hard race. From the start, Fernando and I got away, but later the group came back, and I just kept passing to stay near the front. The bike is great, I will change nothing for Race 2.”

Carlos Cano – P3

“I’m happy to be on the podium again and in the battle at the front of the race. I caught Bujosa in the middle of the race and was able to fight for the win. The bike has a good setup; I don’t need to change anything. I’m going into tomorrow’s race more confident and ready to fight for the victory.”

Red Bull Rookies Results – Misano Race One

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	F. Bujosa	KTM	26m31.424
2	G. Planques	KTM	+0.680
3	C. Cano	KTM	+0.908
4	K. Daniel	KTM	+1.114
5	F. Kratochwil	KTM	+0.950
6	D. Da Costa	KTM	+1.306
7	E. Sparks	KTM	+1.611
8	K. Singhapong	KTM	+2.050
9	M. Marulanda	KTM	+2.286
10	R. Ogiwara	KTM	+2.848
11	T. Borg	KTM	+2.951
12	B. Fernandez	KTM	+6.092
13	K. Tinez	KTM	+7.105
14	A. Almeida	KTM	+16.641
15	S. Mounsey	KTM	+16.742
16	C. Borrelli	KTM	+20.224
17	A. Daquigan	KTM	+23.670
18	L. Agostinelli	KTM	+25.443
19	A. Fernández	KTM	+39.989
20	J. Van Crugten	KTM	+40.012
Not Classified
DNF	Y. Karpushin	KTM	+1 lap
DNF	G. Pugliese	KTM	+2 laps
DNF	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	+5 laps
DNF	A. Schmidt	KTM	+13 laps

Kratochwil received a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap; the table retains the official recorded gaps.

Race Two

Sunday’s second race was another full 15-lap contest, held in much cooler conditions with the track at 18 degrees. The milestone 250th Rookies Cup race produced five different leaders across the timing line and a victory decided by just 55 thousandths of a second.

Bujosa again led the opening lap, before Da Costa headed laps two and three. Cano moved to the front on lap four, while Fernandez briefly looked capable of reversing his difficult run, crossing the line second on lap five, only 0.075 seconds behind the leader.

Kratochwil, Bujosa and Planques also took turns leading as the order shuffled. Cano nevertheless remained in the first three at every lap’s end, led eight laps in total and was first across the line on each of the final four.

Daniel’s route to the finish was less straightforward. The American dropped to 13th on lap five, but fought his way back into contention after switching to longer gearing following Saturday’s race. He began the final lap fourth, 0.383 seconds from Cano, and closed right onto Cano on the final tour.

Cano held on by 0.055 seconds to claim his second win of the season. Kratochwil survived a spectacular moment at the final corner, lifting out of the seat and off the footrests, to take third, 0.759 seconds behind the winner.

Bujosa was only another 0.055 seconds behind Kratochwil in fourth. Sparks took advantage of the final-lap disorder to climb from tenth to fifth, backing up Saturday’s seventh with an even better result.

There was heartbreak for Mounsey and Singhapong, who started the final lap fifth and sixth respectively but both crashed. Singhapong had already served his long-lap penalty on lap two and recovered into the leading group. He remounted to finish 20th, while Mounsey was not classified.

Karpushin bounced back from Saturday’s last-lap exit with sixth, ahead of Ogiwara, Planques, Pugliese and Marulanda. Ramadhipa finished 11th, with the first 12 riders covered by less than two seconds.

Fernandez again lost ground late in the race. He was eighth, 0.763 seconds from the lead, at the end of lap 12, but a 1m47.117 on the following tour dropped him to 16th. He recovered to 14th, only 2.474 seconds from victory but with just two championship points to show for it.

Ogiwara’s seventh earned nine points, cutting another seven from Fernandez’s advantage. Marulanda recorded the official fastest lap, a 1m45.047 on lap 11, despite finishing tenth.

Da Costa retired after completing 13 laps, having led early and remained in the front group for much of the race. Agostinelli and Kerman Tinez also retired. Afonso Almeida received a three-second penalty for failing to comply with a long-lap penalty, but retained 15th and the final point.

Carlos Cano – P1

“Perfect, really happy. I was feeling better than yesterday in the braking points, and all round more comfortable with the bike. It was a hard fight all the way, and in the end today it was my confidence after the great race yesterday. This morning, I woke up with one energy: winning energy; I knew I could do it.”

Kristian Daniel Jr. – P2

“I knew I needed to change the gearing after yesterday; we went longer, and that worked for the last sector. I felt way more comfortable. I dropped back a few times because of a few collisions. The middle of the race was difficult, but I upped the intensity, almost won, but I had a little moment at the end.”

Fynn Kratochwil – P3

“At the end I was going for it, but I got touched by another rider and went wide. So I was P7, I think, and I tried everything in the last 5 corners. Every corner, I took one guy, then a big save at the last corner. Did it look good?”

Fernando Bujosa – P4

“I’m happy to gain a lot of points in the Cup. We go to Austria with a chance of winning. I tried to win today like yesterday; I pushed, but the other guys wouldn’t let me get away this time. It’s colder this morning, the engines have more power, and I was over-revving a bit, which didn’t help. I will fight again next weekend.”

Ethan Sparks – P5

“I had a good start, but then mid-race, I dropped back a little bit. Similar to yesterday, I had to sort of push to catch the group. Then there was the crash in front of me, and I just came right through. Super close to the podium; maybe I could have got there, but P5, I’m super happy. I was P7 yesterday, so just improving all the time.”

Archie Schmidt’s Misano weekend

Australian rookie Archie Schmidt endured another difficult round following his Sachsenring visit, where he also missed the points. He qualified 19th and was promoted to 16th on Saturday’s revised grid, but his opening race ended with a crash on lap three.

Schmidt completed the distance on Sunday after starting 19th. He crossed the line 17th, but a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap left him 18th in the official classification, with his recorded gap remaining 9.129 seconds.

Van Crugten received the same penalty, promoting Alfonsi Daquigan to 17th ahead of Schmidt and the Dutchman. Schmidt’s best lap was a 1m45.777, only 0.730 seconds from the race’s fastest, which underlines his potential. The Australian leaves Misano on three championship points.

Red Bull Rookies Results – Misano Race Two

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	C. Cano	KTM	26m39.528
2	K. Daniel	KTM	+0.055
3	F. Kratochwil	KTM	+0.759
4	F. Bujosa	KTM	+0.814
5	E. Sparks	KTM	+1.056
6	Y. Karpushin	KTM	+1.203
7	R. Ogiwara	KTM	+1.447
8	G. Planques	KTM	+1.590
9	G. Pugliese	KTM	+1.637
10	M. Marulanda	KTM	+1.769
11	K. Ramadhipa	KTM	+1.828
12	C. Borrelli	KTM	+1.972
13	T. Borg	KTM	+2.197
14	B. Fernandez	KTM	+2.474
15	A. Almeida	KTM	+5.656
16	A. Fernández	KTM	+8.393
17	A. Daquigan	KTM	+9.395
18	A. Schmidt	KTM	+9.129
19	J. Van Crugten	KTM	+9.303
20	K. Singhapong	KTM	+26.342
Not Classifed
DNF	S. Mounsey	KTM	+1 lap
DNF	D. Da Costa	KTM	+2 laps
DNF	L. Agostinelli	KTM	+9 laps
DNF	K. Tinez	KTM	+14 laps

Almeida’s time includes a three-second penalty. Schmidt and Van Crugten each received a one-position penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap; their recorded gaps are unchanged.

Championship

Fernandez still leads the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, but an advantage that stood at 42 points before Sachsenring is now just eight heading to the final round at the Red Bull Ring.

The Spaniard has scored only six points across the last four races and heads to Austria on 154. Ogiwara has 146, while Bujosa’s 38-point Misano weekend has brought him to 135 and within 19 points of the lead.

Cano scored 41 points at Misano to climb to fourth on 113, ahead of Daniel on 110 and Kratochwil on 108. Ramadhipa’s retirement and 11th place dropped him from third to seventh, on 106.

With 50 points available across the final two races at Spielberg next weekend, those seven remain mathematically in contention. Ogiwara is within a single race result of overturning Fernandez’s lead, while Bujosa has put himself close enough to take advantage if either of the front two falters.

David González, who has moved into the Moto3 World Championship with Intact GP, did not contest the Misano Rookies races and remains on 96 points.

Red Bull Rookies Cup Points

Pos	Rider	Points
1	B Fernandez	154
2	R Ogiwara	146
3	F Bujosa	135
4	C Cano	113
5	K Daniel	110
6	F Kratochwil	108
7	K Ramadhipa	106
8	K Singhapong	97
9	D González	96
10	Y Karpushin	85
11	G Planques	82
12	T Borg	76
13	S Mounsey	60
14	M Marulanda	59
15	G Pugliese	53
16	D Da Costa	51
17	E Sparks	49
18	K Tinez	32
19	A Daquigan	16
20	C Borrelli	15
21	L Agostinelli	12
22	T Varga	10
23	J Van Crugten	6
24	A Almeida	5
25	A Schmidt	3
26	A Fernández	1

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