Gurugram, Mar 2 (IANS): Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) on Wednesday announced that their Chennai-based rider Kavin Quintal will represent India at the 2022 IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup.

The 16-year old Quintal was among the six young Indian riders from Honda who got shortlisted for 2022 Asia Talent Cup selection process. The 15-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan from Pune, 13-year-old Rakshith S Dave, 17-year-old Geoffrey and Shyam Babu, and 18-year-old Varoon S from Chennai were the other riders.

"It was my dream to make my name in the world of racing. For me it is an honor to be a part of IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup surrounded by well-seasoned riders," said Kavin in a release.

"Having been riding the NSF250R for 3 years now, I along with the support and guidance of my mentors have worked hard on improving my performance to be able to tame the track. As the solo Honda rider from India, I will work hard with the team and do my best in every race," he added.

Kavin entered into the world of professional racing in 2017 with the Stock 165cc category of national championship. However, his racing career took a complete leap, when the racing prodigy was first identified by Honda 2Wheelers India at IDEMITSU Honda Talent Hunt, Chennai in February 2019.

Later, the youngster stood second in the 2019 & 2020 championship of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF 250R class. In 2021 he outpaced all his teammates and won the 2021 IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R championship.

Overall, a total of 20 full-time riders are set to race in the 2022 season of IATC, hailing from seven countries across Asia and Oceania: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

There are six returning riders in 2022: four riders from the class of 2020 and before and two from 2021. The remaining 14 new riders include Kavin from India and two riders who have made wildcard appearances at Mandalika International Street Circuit: Reykat Fadillah and Veda Pratama.