Carlos Cano: The 2026 Moto3 Junior World Champion opens up

Victories and podium finishes in every championship he has competed in so far, ability to overcome difficult moments and a fairytale 2026 season, where he ended up becoming a Moto3 Junior World Champion in his first year in the championship.

This sums up the career of Carlos Cano, a talented rider born in 2009 in a small neighbourhood of Murcia (San Basilio). After numerous achievements and two titles in the last three years (he had already won the European Talent Cup in 2024), Cano is now ready to take on the biggest challenge of his career: stepping up to the Moto3 World Championship in 2027, with the CFMOTO Aspar Team and the backing of an important manager such as Emilio Alzamora.

Palmen in Motorradsport had the opportunity to interview Carlos Cano at the final round of FIM MotoJunior in Misano, to get to know him and his story. It was an enjoyable and interesting conversation, which took place the day before Cano won the Moto3 Junior World Championship.

Carlos, did you expect to be so fast and fight for the title as a rookie in the Moto3 Junior World Championship?

At the beginning of the season, the main goals were to get to know the team as well as possible during the first races, and learn as quickly as possible from the riders who had more experience. Race after race, I learned a lot and got to know the team better and better. I struggled to keep up with the fastest riders in the first races, but then I adapted well to the Moto3 bike and, especially from mid-season onwards, I managed to finish consistently in the top three. It was a great year, during which I fought alongside my teammates (Yaroslav Karpushin and Giulio Pugliese, ed) up to the final round.

If someone had told you, at the beginning of the season, that you would do this...Would you have believed them?

When you start a season as a rookie, you never expect to reach the final race with a chance of winning the championship, especially when it's the Moto3 Junior World Championship. However, we made great progress together and worked hard to arrive here in the best conditions possible. I prepared as hard as I could for every race, and the team gave me as much support as possible. I believe this is the reward for all the work we have done throughout the year. We fully deserve it.

You experienced a very similar situation in 2024, when you won the European Talent Cup in your first year in the category.

2024 was a truly special year, to be honest. It was my first year with Emilio Alzamora as my manager, and from him I learned a lot of things that later helped me win the title. The best part was the progress we all made together as a team (SeventyTwo Artbox Racing Team, ed), as well as everything we learned for the following years. Back then, I was a young boy coming from the QRG team (with whom he had raced in ESBK PreMoto3, ed), where I learned much stuff. I would have never expected to win a European championship in my first year. It was truly incredible.

In 2025, however, you experienced a situation that was almost the opposite. You fought for the championship but eventually lost it due to "external" factors (he was disqualified from the final race in Valencia following a mistake made by his team, ed). How did you deal with that moment?

I started the season feeling strong and very excited about competing in the European Talent Cup again, doing it as the reigning champion. Obviously, the goal was to defend the title and become a back-to-back ETC winner. Unfortunately, though, we lost it because of a mistake within the team (the title finally went to Fernando Bujosa, ed). At first, I was sad about losing it that way, but soon I realised that there were actually many positives: we won several races, I gained plenty of experience and I learned a lot. I am very grateful to the people who stood by me in 2025, to Emilio for his advice and to my family for all their support.

In the 2026 season, you also competed in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. What did you learn that experience?

It was a great year, during which I had the opportunity to get to know new circuits for the future. I had to adapt as quickly as possible because many riders were already in their second or third year in the series. I struggled at first, but racing there helped me a lot in preparation for 2027 (he scored two race wins and finished 7th in the standings, ed).

Now let's take a much bigger step back in time. Can you tell us about the start of your racing career?

It started when I was a four-year-old boy, a crazy kid with no idea of what I was doing. One day, my father took me to where we keep our bikes and started up one of them. To be honest, I was frightened by the noise it made. Five days later, however, he took me to a riding school in Cartagena run by Francisco "Pacote" Mármol (the person who launched Pedro Acosta, ed). At the end of that day, I felt incredibly enthusiastic, after seeing how the other children were riding. I told my father that we had to give it a try, and two weeks later I started training there.

At first, I only trained on Mondays and Saturdays, but when "Pacote" told my father that I was good and the saw potential in me, I started training even more often. Every week, I would go on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and during the weekend. From there, I began competing in my first races at the age of six and then, in 2018, I raced in and immediately won the Spanish Minimoto Championship. The following year, I moved up to the 110cc class, then to Moto5, Moto4 and PreMoto3, always achieving victories and great results.

Even today, "Pacote" is my main coach and a point of reference for me in so many ways. He has given me many pieces of advice, and in 2026 he also worked with me in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.

You went through a very difficult situation in 2023, when you found yourself without a ride shortly before the season began.

December 2022 and January 2023 were the most difficult months of my sporting career. I was coming off some great results (in the previous two years, he had achieved podium finishes and victories in the Spanish ESBK Championship, in Moto4 and PreMoto3, ed), but I found myself without a ride until just one month before the season started. The reason was that we didn't have the money needed to fund a season: by then, it cost €40,000, €50,000 or €60,000.

At the last moment, however, an opportunity came along through David Guardiola and the QRG team, who helped me enormously, together with other people who contributed as well. I arrived at the first race in Jerez and won. And that's when more sponsors came on board, so we could complete the season. I was unable to win the championship, partly because of a few mechanical issues, but at least I was able to race. If I am still here today, it's also thanks to the people who helped me that year.

Looking back at everything you have experienced over the last few years, would you have expected it when you first started?

When I started, my parents, my whole family and I saw motorcycle racing as an opportunity to learn and, above all, as a hobby outside school. In fact, my parents especially say that the first few years were the best for them, because that's when you simply enjoy the moment, spend time there with your child, work as their mechanic and experience everything firsthand. At that point, you cannot even imagine how far you might go. Then, though, as the years go by, you see yourself taking one step forward, then another and so on. That's when you end up believing in it. If you work hard and have the skills required, you eventually get there.

Do you have any other interests outside motorcycles?

Not really. My life is motorcycle racing 24/7. If my coaches tell me that something needs to be done in a certain way, I follow their instructions. I believe that to become a champion and reach the level of the riders you look up to, you must do this: listen carefully to all the people around you who really know what they are talking about, such as Emilio Alzamora in my case. Even what I do outside race weekends is mainly related to motorcycle racing and training: cycling, running, swimming...In the end, motorcycle racing is my hobby.

What does the word "motorcycle" mean to you?

It's what makes me happy always.

If you weren't a motorcycle racer, what would you like to do?

I would like to become a coach, a manager or some other thing connected to motorcycle racing.

Speaking of MotoGP riders, you know Pedro Acosta and have also trained with him. What does he represent to you?

Pedro is a model to me, and he is one of the great riders who mark a before and after in motorcycle racing. What he's doing with KTM, fighting against Marc Márquez and securing his first MotoGP victory, is impressive.

Do you like any other MotoGP riders?

Yes: Marc Márquez. He is very smart and I really like the way he approaches every race. On top of that, it's almost as if he's missing an arm, because of the injuries he has suffered, and it is incredible to see how fast he can still be despite that.

Is there another athlete, outside motorcycle racing, who inspires you?

Rafael Nadal is also a great point of reference for me because of everything he has managed to achieve. In general, though, I follow few sports outside motorcycle racing. Cycling and boat racing, particularly SailGP, are the ones I follow.

Do you also enjoy sailing?

I have taken a few lessons and given it a try...Speed on the water is a completely different experience from riding a motorcycle, where you feel it twice as much. But yes, I enjoy that too.

And finally, it's time for the "Thank You Moment".

I want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far. I will start by thanking my family, who accompany me every day and help me attend my training sessions. I also want to thank all the teams that have helped me and I have grown with, as we built the foundations that have brought me this far. Then I want to thank Emilio Alzamora, because he does everything he can for me as my manager, and the CFMOTO Aspar Team, with whom I have learned a lot. Finally, I want to thank Vicente Arbiol for the great work he does for me at every race: he gives it all to provide me with everything I need at every moment.

This is for all the people who have always stood by my side, pushing me during tough times and celebrating with me in the best times.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Carlos Cano for his time, and to Emilio Alzamora and Vicente Vila (CFMOTO Aspar Team Press Officer) for making this interview possible. Best wishes to both the rider and the team for the next chapters of their journey.