The Biker Place

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I started riding motorbikes at the young age of 6, we used to live on a farm and so there was plenty of space to learn how to ride a bike safely. My first bike was an old Italjet twist “n” go 50cc motorcrossbike. I used to bomb around on this all day long during the holidays untill I eventualy grew out of it. My dad then bought me one of the first KTM 60cc motorcross bikes that had just hit the shops, after I had grown big enough and knew the bike well enough I decided to start motorcross racing at about the age of 10. I was not too keen on motorcross and had a rough time throughout my motocross career, I was not quite agrressive enough but still came home with some respectfull finishes over the 4-5 years or so of racing them, I started to get the hang of this skill a bit later on when I was on my Honda CR 85 Big Wheel.

Later on that season (2005) we decided it was time to switch and focus mainly on road racing which I had always wanted to do in the future anyway. I joind the Aprilia Superteens championship midway through 2005 and had a good half a season, learning the skill a bit more and also the tracks. I was always out powered down the straights as my bike was fully standard and so dad and I knew we had to get an engine tuned well, without braking any of the rules, to be competitive in this championship.

2006 soon came around and the first round was at Brands Hatch, I improved my times straight away and qualified in 7th place, whereas 5 months before I was struggling to get a top 18.

Although I had qualified well I had a rough weekend with two nasty crashes as well as a little one at the top of Druids haipin, we decided the best idea was to hand the bike over to a suspension specialist who was at the meeting also, so he could have a quick look to see if it was set up ok. To our surprise the suspension was all set totally wrong! Keith Townsend one of my local sponsors was very kind and offered to buy the best suspension around for an aprilia RS 125 which was Maxton suspension, it was all set up properly for my weight by Maxton specialists and we got the front forks and rear suspension back a few weeks later ready for the second round at Lydden Hill.

I felt the difference right away, and progressed as the season went on and, by the end of the season, I was a regular front runner and definately would have been a contender for the championship if a few things had been sorted out earlier. I had a fantastic season and ended it with a bang. We had some good sponsorship and manged to buy a good ex British GP bike, Dan Linfoot’s as it happens, I competed in the last round of the British GP 125s as a wildcard rider in the pouring rain, first time on wets as in superteens wets are against the rules (controlled tyres) and came through the field from 28th to finish 11th! A few eyes had spotted me and three teams offered me a ride for the 2007 season, I chose to go with a team called Replicast UK racing who had a new sponsor from America, We later found out that this was all to go completely wrong and by the end of the fourth round at Oulton Park the American sponsor had gone his own way, Replicast had gone their own way and so had we.

My dad tried his hardest to get my GP bike back in race ready condition for the 5th round at Snetterton, and he had achieved just that, with some technical support from two other teams KRP and RS Racing, I came home with my best result that season with a 13th which myself and everybody else was happy with after such a disgrace and disaster with the team we were withearlier in the season. For the rest of the season RS Racing ran me on their bike up untill the last two rounds of the season as fellow competitor and friend Scott Rogers decided to come out of retirement and wanted his bike back, as I was using his. Yet again my dad and a couple of other good friends Shaun Attkine and Alan Island helped my dad prepare the bike ready for Donnington. It was all set to go, but turned out to be a nightmare weekend with problems with the bike, bad weather and two crashes in which the first one badly damaged the bike. My dad told me at the end of the race that my bike only had 38 bhp when it should have around 45 or above with the kit that it had on it, but it just wasnt to be, I was quite relieved actually as I now knew why I was so far down the field, and reguarly found myself fuming with anger!

We arrived at the last round at Brands Hatch Indy knowing that I had a disadvantage power wise. I started the weekend off well, I finished the first free practice in 17th place in the damp conditions and was happy with my performance. In free practice two the track was completely dry and I knew now was the time to start pushing for some good laptimes ready for qualifying, I got down to a 51.7 after 8 laps, but then I came out of Graham Hill bend with the bike completely bogging and trying the cut out, I knew something was up and tip toed back to the pitlane. This was the wrong thing to do as the bike had seized up and so I should have pulled the clutch in and let the engine cut out to prevent any more damage being caused to the engine. This was a real shame as we now knew that I was going the have to run a new and very expensive barrel and piston in throughout my first qualifying session.

I was very far down the list obviously and so I had to really make it count in my last qualifying session. I had a new set of tyres on and had been warned time and time again to take it easy for the first 3-4 laps or so, so that the tyres had a chance to wear in a bit, I was too eager and went for it all guns blazing on the start of my second lap! I was in such a rush and was so pumped up to try and get a time in that I chucked the bike on its side full pace down paddock hill bend, which if you have been to Brands Hatch, you will know this is not a very nice place to be falling off, it is fast, and sweeps down hill. My rear tyre didnt want to grip and bit me in the back side, it let go, I hung on, then it went big time and threw me sky high, I came down on my head and knocked myself out, I came around once I had came to a halt after being inbedded as part of the gravel trap.

I was checked out at the medical centre and just came away very angry with myself as well as battered and bruised, I was a bit confused at first as this is quite common when you have concussion and was not allowed to race the following day because of it. I was very gutted as well as angry as I had came all this way and my dad and various other people had tried so hard to get everything ready for the round, but it was a lesson learned and at least I only came away with minour injuries!

A month or so later I found myself in Spain doing the last two rounds of the highly competitive spanish CEV Championship purely just for more track time. It brought some confidence back to me and I really enjoyed the experience out there and came back not to race again untill 2008 with a smile on my face.

In 2008 I will be racing in the British GP 125 championship again and am determined to make a move with things just like I did in 2006, I know now how it all works in BSB after a year in the championship and I can confidently say I have a good team and sponsors supporting me ready for the season to start.

If you want to contact Jess, or are interested in Sponsorship opportunities you can contact hime via his website.