Ethan Sparks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ethan Sparks | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | (2010-12-08) 8 December 2010 (age 15) Pembury, Kent, England |
| Current team | MLav Racing |
| Bike number | 62 |
Ethan Gavin Sparks[1] (born in Pembury on 8 December 2010, and raised in Maidstone) is a British motorcycle racer who competes in the Moto4 European Cup with MLav Racing, as well as in the Red Bull Rookies Cup.
In 2025, Sparks was crowned British Talent Cup champion. He has been coached by Michael Laverty, Danny Webb, and former Isle of Man TT and Grand Prix race winner Chas Mortimer.[2]
Early career
Sparks was born in Pembury, England.[3] He started riding minibikes at the age of five, at a Swindon-based academy.[4]
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.[4] 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.[2] He claimed the title in his rookie season and became the youngest-ever winner of the class.[5][6] 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.[7] 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.[8][9]
Moto4
British Talent Cup
In 2025, Sparks was selected to compete in the British Talent Cup.[10] 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.[11][12] This feat granted him a spot in the 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.[13][14]
Moto4 European Cup
Sparks entered the 2025 European Talent Cup with MRE Talent.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]
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 12 |
JER 18 |
LMS | LMS | MUG | MUG | ASS | ASS | SAC | SAC | MIS | MIS | RBR | RBR | 17th* | 4* |
* Season still in progress.
References
- ↑ "Valencia-3ª prueba ESBK’23" beonautomotive.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- 1 2 "A star in the making! Say hello to Ethan Sparks". motorcyclenews.com. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ↑ "#62 Ethan Sparks". redbull.com. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- 1 2 "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.
- ↑ "R&G British Talent Cup: Sparks flies to 2025 title". britishsuperbike.com. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ↑ "Sparks becomes first ever rookie R&G Talent Cup Champion". kentsportsnews.com. 13 October 2025. 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.
- ↑ "Sparks & Surowiak promoted up the Road to MotoGP". britishtalentcup.com. 26 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.