Ethan Sparks
| Ethan Sparks | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 8 December 2010 Pembury, Kent, England[1] |
| Current team | MLav Racing |
| Bike number | 62 |
Ethan Gavin Sparks[2] (born in Pembury on 8 December 2010, and raised in Maidstone) is a British motorcycle racer who is set to compete in the 2026 Moto4 European Cup with MLav Racing,[3] as well as in the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.[4][5] He is the 2025 British Talent Cup champion,
Sparks has been coached by Michael Laverty, Danny Webb, and former Isle of Man TT and Grand Prix race winner Chas Mortimer.[6]
Career
Early career
Sparks was born in Pembury, England. He started riding minibikes at the age of five, at a Swindon-based academy.[7]
FAB‑Racing Minibike British Championship
His first championship participation was in the Cool FAB British Minibike Championship in 2017, where he claimed his first win in his debut year.[7] Sparks moved up to the Mini GP50 Cool Fab Championship for 2020, aged nine, a category previously won by Scott Redding, Danny Kent, and Scott Ogden.[6] He claimed the title in his rookie season and became the youngest-ever winner of the class.[8][9] Sparks stepped up to the GP70 class, where he would go on to win back-to-back titles for the next three years.
ESBK Moto4
These results earned him a wildcard appearance in the 2022 Spanish Moto4 championship at Jerez.[10] In 2023, he returned to Moto4 for a second year, this time clinching three podiums—two third-place finishes at Aragón and Estoril, and a win at Valencia.[11][12]
Moto4
British Talent Cup
In 2025, Sparks was selected to compete in the British Talent Cup.[13] He claimed the British Talent Cup title in his rookie year, becoming the first rider to do so, with six wins and 13 podiums in total.[14][15] This feat granted him a spot in the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.[5][16]
Moto4 European Cup
Sparks entered the 2025 European Talent Cup with MRE Talent.[17] He failed to qualify on his debut at Estoril, but made the cut in the following round at Jerez, finishing 13th and 10th in Races 1 and 2. Sparks missed two rounds due to his participation in the British Talent Cup, and his best finish was ninth place at Montmeló.[18] On 26 November 2025, it was announced that Sparks would be joining the Michael Laverty-led MLav Racing team in the 2026 Moto4 European Cup.[3]
Career statistics
FIM MiniGP World Series
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 160cc | Ohvale | VAL R1 4 |
VAL R2 3 |
VAL SFR 6 |
4th | 49 |
| 2024 | 190cc | Ohvale | ARA R1 7 |
ARA R2 5 |
ARA SFR 2 |
4th | 60 |
British Talent Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos | Pts | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R3 | ||||
| 2025 | Honda | DON 4 |
DON 2 |
SIL Ret |
SIL 4 |
SNE Ret |
SNE 2 |
BRH 1 |
BRH 1 |
THR 2 |
THR 5 |
DON 1 |
DON 1 |
DON 2 |
ASS 1 |
ASS 2 |
OUL 2 |
OUL 1 |
OUL 2 |
1st | 327 |
European Talent Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Honda | EST1 DNQ |
EST2 DNQ |
JER1 13 |
JER2 10 |
MAG1 Ret |
MAG2 16 |
ARA | MIS1 | MIS2 | CAT 9 |
VAL 17 |
23rd | 16 |
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos | Pts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||
| 2026 | KTM | JER | JER | LMS | LMS | MUG | MUG | ASS | ASS | SAC | SAC | MIS | MIS | RBR | RBR | NC | 0 |
References
- ^ "#62 Ethan Sparks". redbull.com. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Valencia-3ª prueba ESBK’23" beonautomotive.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Sparks & Surowiak promoted up the Road to MotoGP". britishtalentcup.com. 26 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ "R&G British Talent Cup: Sparks flies to 2025 title". britishsuperbike.com. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Sparks becomes first ever rookie R&G Talent Cup Champion". kentsportsnews.com. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b "A star in the making! Say hello to Ethan Sparks". motorcyclenews.com. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Maidstone rookie Ethan Sparks, aged six, is making fast progress in Minibike Championship". kentonline.co.uk. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Maidstone racer Ethan Sparks, nine, leads his new Mini Cool Fab Championship class". kentonline.co.uk. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Maidstone rider Ethan Sparks, nine, lands Mini Fab GP50 title at first attempt as part of championship double". kentonline.co.uk. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Maidstone rider Ethan Sparks handed Moto4 wildcard in Spain after securing his fourth British title". kentonline.co.uk. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Maidstone rider Ethan Sparks becomes first British junior to win a Moto4 race in Spain". kentonline.co.uk. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "ESBK Valencia: No apto para cardíacos" prensarfme.com (in Spanish), 14 May 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Teenager Ethan Sparks, from Maidstone, is competing in both the British Talent Cup and European Talent Cup this season". kentonline.co.uk. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Sparks secures R&G British Talent Cup crown in dramatic Oulton Park decider". superbike-news.co.uk. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Championship Standings". britishtalentcup.com. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup selecteert acht nieuwe talenten, geen Belgen" racesport.nl (in Dutch), 9 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Jurrien van Crugten nuevo piloto del MRE Talent en la European Talent Cup" super7moto.com (in Spanish), 22 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Ethan Sparks Delivers Career Best P9 in Barcelona". superbike-news.co.uk. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.