Marc Marquez Protege Maximo Quiles will debut the Grand Prix in the Moto3 class at the Americas GP along with Aspar Squad.
Quiles is one of the hottest young properties in the MotoGP paddock, which appeared in the 2025 season, winning the European Talent Cup in his rookie campaign in 2021 and repeating the feat in 2023.
He became the top three championship finisher of the Red Bull Rookie Cup, won the Junior Grand Prix World Championship, and signed a Moto3 contract with ASPAR in 2025.
Quiles’ Grand Prix debut was made possible with a second half of the season changes to age limit rules last year. This has changed the exemption language.
Quill, just 17 years old, is one year under the minimum age regulated for races at Grand Prix.
Originally, the top three riders in the Rookie Cup rankings in the previous season have been granted exemptions to step up to Moto3.
His Moto3 debut would have had to be postponed to 2026, as Quills was fifth in last year’s Rookie Cup.
However, tweaks to the rules changed the exemption language, allowing riders who finished the top three “in any season.”
Despite receiving an age exemption, under the changed rules, he was still too young to take part in the 2025 opening round, and was only 17 times on March 19th.
“I’m really looking forward to riding my bike in Austin,” Quiles said.
“I’m a little upset that I’m not in Thailand or Argentina, but my time at the World Championships is finally beginning.
“You can see a high level in the Moto3 class. You have to push yourself to give it all.
“In the first race, the goal is to learn and enjoy myself, but of course I want to do well too.”
Quiles’ talent has seen him filmed under the wings of Vertical Management, a company run by the Marquez brothers. The youngsters found training with the duo at various points last year.
The 17-year-old is not without controversy after being hit by a race ban due to an incident at the Rookie Cup race at Muguero last year.
The Quiles have already been tested for the ASPAR team in the preseason. He was replaced by Jacob Rosentaler in the first two rounds of 2025, with the Austrians not scoring points.