Racing, school and a bit of Spanish: SA’s KJ Mononyane adjusting to life in Barcelona

Just close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself as a teenager still in high school.

Would you have been brave enough to move to a new country, where you don’t speak the language, to pursue a dream?

Resources and social status aside, any venture that requires you to dive into the unknown is daunting – even more so when you’re only a teenager.

But 17-year-old Kgopotso ‘KJ’ Mononyane was brave enough to do exactly that, relocating to Barcelona, Spain, where he is chasing his dream of becoming a MotoGP champion.

At just 16, he left South Africa for Barcelona to live and train with professional athletes who have experience on European circuits – a move crucial to his development as a professional motorcycle racer with ambitions as big as his.

He now races in two leagues: the FIM JuniorGP World Championship and the Red Bull Rookies Cup.

Both tour Europe across seven rounds, giving him 14 high-pressure weekends to manage – all while completing matric.

Yes, he’s still in school and trying his best.

One can imagine how demanding being a professional rider is, both physically and mentally, but the Gauteng-born Mononyane is determined to finish school.

He’s now in his second season racing on the European circuit and names Mugello Circuit in Italy as his favourite – mainly because he’s fastest through its chicanes, having previously raced in the Italian Cup before moving to Barcelona.

“So, I’m still doing the South African syllabus,” Mononyane told Independent Media this week.

“I study through online school to fit in with everything I have going on.

“It’s been hard, and I’ve been falling behind a bit, but I’m trying to stay on top of things.”

“It’s been a new experience moving out here to Barcelona.

“But I was advised to come because this is where all the best are training and riding.

“Being in this environment has definitely helped me become a better rider. It’s been an eye-opening experience, learning and rubbing shoulders with some of the best.

“No matter how much I trained in SA, you always want to compare yourself to the best, and they were overseas.

“It was really different when I first arrived – I thought I was fast in South Africa, but in Spain, it was a whole different game.”

Mononyane now spends much of his time riding around dirt tracks in Barcelona to familiarise himself with different surfaces and become a more adaptable rider.

He said going fast isn’t the most important factor at the top level – it’s about how quickly you can adapt to changing conditions.

He has also learned to speak Spanish and can now converse with locals confidently. “The ladies even call him ‘Papi’… just kidding – they still call me KJ,” he jokes.

“Riding on dirt helps a lot with clutch control and knowing what to do at every turn.

“You always have to be present and focused, which really helps in races. I also had to change my riding style when I got here.

"The way race bikes are set up, you have to ride them in a certain way.

“If you think you can just do your own thing, you won’t succeed.

“I struggled with that in my first year, but I’ve improved a lot and am now more in tune with the race bikes.”

During his first season in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Mononyane finished around 46 seconds off the pace leader on average.

This season, he’s cut that gap to around nine seconds – a staggering improvement that’s caught the attention of scouts and teams.

His ability to adapt quickly and improve his pace significantly bodes well for his long-term ambition of climbing the ranks.

But even he admits his style can be a bit reckless, especially when attacking the first turn of a race.

“You’ve got to be a bit crazy to get into a good position because everyone’s fighting for the same space.

“I think the Red Bull Cup is a bit more relaxed than the JuniorGP because the stakes are higher there – more sponsors, more prize money.

“Every lap counts, but if you win, it’s a huge achievement because a lot of teams pay attention to that.”

While reaching MotoGP might still feel like a distant dream, Mononyane is focused on the 10 races he has left this season.

His best finishes so far is a P9 in the Red Bull Cup and P10 in the JuniorGP – both marks he’s determined to improve.