Joshua Whatley will join Scott Ogden in Michael Laverty's fledgling VisionTrack Honda Moto3 team next season.

Whatley, 16 years old from Chertsey in Surrey, is also racing in the FIM CEV Junior World Championship this season, with two ninth places his best results in Barcelona.

He was a three-time champion in youth minibike classes and finished fourth in the inaugural British Talent Cup series, when he was the youngest rider in the field.

"First of all, I want to say a big thank you to Michael and to VisionTrack for putting this project together. I’m really happy that I’m making the move into the Moto3 World Championship next year. I’m so excited and thankful for the opportunity," he said.

Laverty added: “The ethos for our team is to provide opportunities for young riders from the UK, so it’s great to have two young rookies with us for our first season. I’ve watched both Scott and Josh perform in the Junior World Championship this season and believe in their ability to cut it at Grand Prix level.”