Rising star Maverick Vinales has received the ultimate blessing - and possibly curse - for a young Spanish rider aspiring to become a MotoGP superstar, as Spanish petroleum giant Repsol announced it will sponsor Vinales in Moto3 in 2012.

Vinales, 17, won four 125cc World Championship races and finished third in the standings during his rookie season of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2011. He became the third-youngest winner in World Championship history when he triumphed at Le Mans at age 16 years, 123 days. He is returning to the BQR team for a second season, riding an FTR Honda in the new 250cc four-stroke introductory class.

The team that Maverick Vinales rode for in 2011 was sponsored by Paris Hilton.

The Repsol blessing brings pressure, especially on Spanish riders. Repsol has sponsored the Honda factory team since 1995, winning Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner winning nine World Championships in Repsol colors.

Repsol also sponsors Spanish starlet Marc Marquez, who finished runner-up in his first season of Moto2 in 2011. Marquez is tabbed for MotoGP stardom if he can recover from double vision suffered in a crash late last season.

"The big three current Repsol riders - Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez - have won titles, and this is my aim for 2012," Vinales said." I can only hope to follow the path that other Repsol riders have established in the World Championship and take many wins this year."

Unconfirmed track lore has it that Maverick Vinales was named after Tom Cruise's character in the '80s shirt-off oiled-up beach volleyball film "Top Gun".