Maltese teenager and motorcycling prodigy Travis Borg could earn himself a contract to compete in the 2027 FIM Moto3 World Championship, with him currently sitting second in the FIM MotoJunior World Championship series.
Halfway through the JuniorGP World Championship season, Borg, 17, is currently second in the championship standings. If he finishes this season in the Top 3, he may secure himself a spot in next year's FIM Moto3 World Championship - despite not yet being 18 years old.
"I am currently second in the MotoJunior and, if I end up in the Top 3, then I'll have a chance to sign a contract for Moto3 in the MotoGP World Championship," Borg said.
Borg, who races for Team Monlau Motul, is competing among the world's brightest motorcycle racing prodigies in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and in the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship as the only Maltese to have ever been selected to race in these prestigious competitions. He is sitting in second place in the MotoJunior World Championship, out of 24 competitors, and in 11th place in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, with 26 drivers having raced in this season's series. Borg pinned the Rookies Cup 11th place in the standings down to "some bad luck" he endured this season so far.
Photos provided by Travis Borg
This season, he has racked up four podium finishes in the MotoJunior World Championship and one podium finish in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. This is his first time competing in either of these competitions, following success in other racing series.
He said that to participate in next year's Moto3 World Championship from the start, he must finish this season in either Top 3 of the two high-level competitions he is competing in. Traditionally, Moto3 riders are 18 years of age, though Borg is hoping that this season's success will result in him being fast-tracked into this higher-level competition.
Doing so would see him compete in the Moto3 World Championship at just 17 years old. If he does not finish this season in the Top 3 of either of these standings, he said he will have to wait till he turns 18 in July next year. Borg said that this scenario could see him miss half the season until he comes of age next summer, and that he is not keen on competing after missing out on points from the first 10 races.
There are currently four riders born in 2008, just a year older than Borg, in the 2026 Moto3 World Championship standings. All these riders are currently in the Top 10; one is the championship leader and another rider will turn 18 this November.
Borg spoke to The Malta Independent on Sunday about his ambition to participate in next year's Moto3 World Championship, why he feels that he must finish in the Top 3 drivers in the ongoing MotoJunior World Championship season, as well as how he got into motor racing and the implications of Malta not having its own racetrack.
He opened up that it's difficult to cope with the pressure of racing professionally, considering the sacrifices made by his parents to put him in that position and on the team he races for. Borg recognised that his supporters may become angry or disappointed if he doesn't perform, so to cope with this weight on his shoulders, he focuses on keeping a blank mind and simply doing the best he can.
"I am fighting for the championship, so I shouldn't even worry about these things," Borg said.
Becoming a professional motorcycle rider without a local racetrack
Borg is Malta's only professional motorcycle racer and was the first Maltese to ever earn a podium finish. He moved to Spain with his parents four years ago, leaving his two older brothers in Malta, to compete professionally at just 13 years old, after winning a coveted race in Sicily at the age of 12.
"I have been living there for four years because it is very difficult to train here in Malta, and so we - my family and I - had to move to Spain and I had to leave my brothers here," Borg said.
However, irrespective of how the rest of his career progresses, his story will always be characterised by how he began riding professionally, among the world's fastest young riders, despite Malta still not having its own professional racetrack.
Borg's racing story began with his father's passion for motorcycles, which was passed on to him at a very young age. Borg recalled how his father bought him a mini moto electric bike when he was still three years old, "and from there, I just started driving and haven't stopped yet".
Borg reminisced how, every Sunday until he was around 10, his family would go for a picnic, and he'd get the chance to ride around. He said that he got a lot of practice during his childhood by going round the Ta' Qali's track for remote-control cars, with his mini moto, since Malta has never had and is still waiting on getting its own proper racetrack.
Being the approximate size of a five-a-side football pitch, the RC track is not meant to be used by people, though that was the only safe space Borg's family could provide for him to enjoy riding his mini motos.
He told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the area where he rode his mini moto as a small child was too small to even be considered a track, "but that's the only place we could go".
In between finding his passion on the RC track and racing professionally as a teenager, Borg stepped into motocross when he was nine years old. He competed in motocross for three years.
Malta's pending racetrack is a longstanding government pledge that has been in the waiting for many years. In 2019, then Parliamentary Secretary for Sports Clifton Grima told MaltaToday that the motorsport racetrack's planning was at an "advanced stage" and that it would be completed by the end of that legislature. Two general elections later, motorcycle riders like Borg, and thousands of other enthusiasts, are still waiting for this racetrack to come to fruition.
Reports in recent months indicate that the long-awaited racetrack remains caught up in the red tape of evaluative studies required before the construction of any major project. The project is now forecast to cost €78 million - a far cry from the estimated €20 million disclosed by Prime Minister Robert Abela in 2021.
When the subject of the government's racetrack pledge came up during this interview, Borg remarked that "it's never happened" and that "they've forgotten about it".
He added that even the Maltese go-karting community has been given a track, while "they haven't done anything for motorcyclists".
The motorcycle racer said that, because Malta lacks a track, enthusiasts looking to enjoy themselves must go abroad, for example, to Sicily, to safely enjoy this hobby, especially considering the nature of Maltese roads, and the absence of highways, making it dangerous to drive at high speeds.
Borg noted how his father has lost dear friends through road accidents, highlighting the dangers of driving at high speeds in regular roads.
Additionally, any young prospects looking to follow in Borg's footsteps and compete in motorcycle racing face a mountain to climb to get there. Borg said that young Maltese children have nowhere to go, should this become their ambition, and "not everyone is going to do like my father and decide to move to Spain or Italy" to help their child compete.
He added that, without a racetrack, Maltese people have little to no means of getting into motorcycle racing. This has affected his ability to get financial backing through sponsors, he believes, since "people don't take much notice of motorbikes in Malta because we've never had a track. So, no one follows motorbike racing" in contrast to MotoGP's popularity in Spain. He is presently sponsored by VisitMalta, Attrans Ltd, and Enemed.
Financial support is important for Borg to handle the many expenses involved in motorsport, such as petrol, having and maintaining the bikes he needs, paying his team, and other expenses.
Since moving to Spain, Borg is showing that he belongs among the world's up-and-coming motorcycle racing riders - despite being too young to obtain a regular road driving licence. Over the coming years, Borg is hoping to keep climbing the motorsport ranks, win more races, and get more sponsors to support his professional career abroad.