INTRODUCING RICO

Born on a 14th of February, in 2008, in the city of Pirkanmaa in the south-west of Finland, Rico Salmela was brought from an early age on two wheels, by his father, a huge passionate, who was racing in Supermoto at Rico’s birth. At 2 years old, Rico started motocross, before he found a passion for road racing at the age of 5. It was the beginning of the love story for the young boy, and his family decided to dedicate themselves to try making it to the world championship.

BEYOND FINLAND’S BORDERS

Rico quickly showed his talent and attracted attention in the national classes, before it was time to try the adventure in Europe. In 2021, he ventured onto the international stage and competed in the European Talent Cup, where he immediately achieved a respectable 13th place overall. That earned him a seat in the prestigious Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup in 2022, during which he took his maiden victory in Aragon, and finished 7th of the cup, while finishing 8th of his second season in ETC. With his consistently strong performances and unbridled determination, Rico established himself as one of the most promising young riders in motorcycle racing in 2023, finishing 4th of both the Rookies Cup and the ETC.

2024-2025: THE CONFIRMATION

In 2024, Salmela was promoted to the FIM Junior GP™ championship and made some noise quickly, when he took his first win in the category in Estoril. At the same time, he had also secured a ride in the Rookies cup for the 3rd season in a row, one he closed in 4th, just behind Valentin Perrone. In 2025, Salmela fully focused on the Junior GP ™, and he confirmed himself as one of the main talents ready to hit the Grand Prix stage. His 6 podiums out of 12 races in 2025 saw him end the season in 5th, a consistent year which gave him solid arguments to deserve a seat in Moto3™.

2026: HARD WORK PAYS OFF 

The great 2025 campaign of Rico Salmela caught the eyes of Red Bull KTM Tech3’s team principal, Hervé Poncharal, who decided to give the Finnish a ride for the 2026 season, alongside Valentin Perrone, to form an exciting – and original  – Finnish-Argentinean duo! Rico will make his Moto3™ with the number 27, chosen in honour of his idol, a certain Casey Stoner...