Jonas Folger’s new challenge: the former MotoGP sensation shifts perspective

A different challenge: former MotoGP rider Jonas Folger puts himself to the test as coach of a SIC58 Moto3 rookie.

A former World Championship rider returning in a new role. Jonas Folger, KTM test rider and in the last two years among the starters of the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours, will once again be in the paddock in a role he already somewhat covers with the KTM 990 RC R Cup project. This time, however, in Moto3: he will be the coach of Leo Rammerstorfer, a young Austrian rider making his debut with SIC58 Squadra Corse. This is confirmed by the team owner, Paolo Simoncelli, who from this weekend’s trip to MotorLand Aragon will therefore have the former MotoGP German in his garage.

"From Aragon onwards he will be followed by Folger, a former rider, a name that echoed in Marco’s days. He will accompany him for all the upcoming races as a coach. We are confident. Anything that can help his performance is welcome." Thus Simoncelli, in his classic post-GP comment, highlighted the news regarding his Austrian rookie, who compared to his teammate is struggling much more in this debut season in the Moto3 World Championship. It will be a fine challenge both for the ex-MotoGP rider and for the rookie of the smallest class, hopefully more enduring than the much-publicized Jorge Lorenzo–Maverick Vinales pairing, which then ended prematurely and quietly...

Jonas Folger’s experience can certainly lend him a hand. The German has indeed accumulated quite a lot despite a career marked by health issues in his first MotoGP year, just a few GPs after taking his first and only premier-class podium at his home event. It took time to recover; years later he raced a few substitute rounds in Moto2 and MotoGP (the most recent this year at Le Mans), with a single full season in Superbike in between and the IDM SBK 1000 title in 2020. Not only that, the allure of endurance racing also attracted him: last year he made his debut at the Suzuka 8 Hours, repeating the experience again in this 2026.

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