Former Red Bull Rookies rider and double Moto3™ Junior World Championship race winner, Joan Mir, will step up to the world stage in 2016.

Joan Mir is a name that may be familiar to some; the 18 year old from Palma de Mallorca currently rides for Leopard Racing’s junior team in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship. This year Mir has claimed two victories in the Junior World Championship and was on track for a third in Le Mans, having fought through from the back of the field, before unfortunately losing the front. The 2016 season will see him move to the Leopard Racing squad in the Moto3™ World Championship. The team have proved their pedigree this season with the likes of Danny Kent and Efren Vazquez, Kent leading the championship and Vazquez claiming multiple podiums.

The talented youngster is no stranger to the world stage either, 2014 saw him battle with Jorge Martin (Mapfre Team Mahindra) for the Red Bull Rookies cup title. Mir finished second in the championship with 197 points and having taken three wins and a total of six podiums.

Joan Mir is the not first rider to step up from the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship, a series that has most recently produced Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Maria Herrera (Husqvarna Factory Laglisse), Hiroki Ono (Leopard Racing), Jorge Martin (Mapfre Team Mahindra) and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team), who have all made the step up to the Moto3™ World Championship this season. The list of past champions in the FIM CEV Repsol reads like a who's who of motorcycle racing as, regardless of nationality, the majority of riders in Moto3™, Moto2™ and even MotoGP™ have at some stage raced in the CEV.

Joan Mir: "A dream becomes true today when we put the pen to paper. I’m really proud because this agreement sees me step up to the World Championship level from next year. I’m very grateful to Leopard Racing for giving me this awesome opportunity. I’ll try and do my best to prove myself a real contender in this highly competitive category in Grand Prix Racing. But first, I want to fulfill my task in the Moto 3 Junior World Championship this year."

Miodrag Kotur (Leopard Racing): “Leopard Racing is currently supporting him with the Machado Leopard Junior Team. He is a rider that matches very well with our philosophy. He has enjoyed success in the junior series and with the support and experience we can offer him, we are confident that he has a great future with our Leopard Racing Team. We are happy to guide the youngsters to achieve the highest levels of our sport. We want to put Joan in the best possible conditions to reach his MotoGP goals."