Ogden, Whatley form Laverty's 2022 VisionTrack Moto3 line-up

Scott Ogden and Josh Whatley will be joining Michael Laverty's new VisionTrack Honda Moto3 team for the 2022 world championship.

It was officially confirmed yesterday that former BSB and MotoGP racer Laverty is launching a Honda team to support young British riders in grand prix racing.

Both Ogden and Whatley currently compete in the CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship.

Ogden, 17, holds fourth in the standings with two podiums, including his first victory in the hotly contested class.

“I’m delighted to be moving up to the Moto3 grid. It’s the next big step and racing at each MotoGP event doesn’t get much better for a rider at this stage of their career," Ogden said.

“Michael Laverty knows what it takes to compete at the highest levels of the sport and I am excited about working with him and the team he is putting together. It gives me an excellent start in Moto3 and I want to help them achieve strong results.”

Ogden previously won the British Talent Cup and British Motostar Standard Class titles in 2019, plus the British GP70 FAB Racing and British Minibikes (70cc) titles in 2016.

Laverty said: “The ethos for our team is to provide opportunities for young riders from the UK, so it’s great to have two young rookies with us for our first season.

"I’ve watched both Scott and Josh perform in the Junior World Championship this season and believe in their ability to cut it at Grand Prix level.

"I first met Scott during an evening practice session on Minibikes in 2017 and was immediately impressed by his abilities. I’ve kept an eye on him since. Recently I was saying how I felt he could be the next British talent to step up to World Championship level – and the week after he won at Jerez!

“He’s a very nice young guy who I believe has the ingredients to go all the way.”

Whatley, 16, is 19th overall in the CEV standings with a best finish of ninth so far.

“First of all, I want to say a big thank you to Michael and to VisionTrack for putting this project together. I’m really happy that I’m making the move into the Moto3 World Championship next year. I’m so excited and thankful for the opportunity!” Whatley said.