Beschreibung:

• Husqvarna 125cc engine, 32hp at 12,500rpm • Purpose-built road race frame, 17in. wheels • Great track day bike for younger/smaller riders • Same as used in selection races for Red Bull Rookies Cup The best way to learn the craft of road racing is to ride a genuine road racing motorcycle – that was the thinking behind the Metrakit Pre GP125. Originally a provider of speed parts for 50cc scooters and mopeds, Spanish company Metrakit made the jump to bike-maker with 50-80cc models purpose built for youth road racing. That naturally led to the Pre GP125, a larger machine intended to be a stepping stone for riders intent on making it to the MotoGP ranks. Introduced in 2005, the Pre GP125 used a modified Husqvarna 125cc two-stroke liquid-cooled single for power, working through a special road racing gearset. Inhaling deeply via a 38mm Mikuni carburetor all the way to 12,500rpm, the motor's power output was a claimed 32hp, good for speeds in excess of 120mph. The engine was hung from a tubular-steel main frame, with large aluminum side plates that provided a pivot for the alloy swingarm and a perch for the rear subframe. Rolling on 17in. wheels, claimed dry weight was 176lb. For several years Metrakit provided identically prepped GP125s for a season-end runoff race in Spain where hundreds of qualified riders from around the world battled it out for 20 spots in the next season's Red Bull Rookies Cup, a prestigious feeder series for MotoGP. A joint effort between series organizers Dorna and major sponsor Red Bull, the Rookies Cup has proven successful in bridging the gap between national racing series and the world GP stage. Inaugural series winner Johann Zarco is a good example. The French rider was 17 when he won the Rookies Cup in 2007 and has parlayed that into a stellar career. With a total of 16 wins, he was Moto2 World Champion in 2015 and '16. In 2017 he finished sixth overall in MotoGP and was named Rookie of the Year, leading to a full factory ride on this year's KTM squad. American rider JD Beach, the 2008 Rookies Cup champ, has also done well, winning 40 times in AMA racing on his way to a pair of MotoAmerica Supersport titles. In 2019 he will contest the AMA Superbike series. Hoping for more American participation, a number of Pre 125GPs were imported to the U.S., the total believed to be about 25. This machine, in working order and recently repainted, was ridden by 14-year-old Damian Jigalov, winner of two WERA championships, and by 11-year-old Kayla Jaakov, who used it in some of her 185 race wins and 25 class championships.