Josh excited by new European challenge

Editorial Department • Published 18 Feb 2010 11:20 0 Comments

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Going places fast.... Josh Elliott.

Josh Elliott's progression along the motorcycling ladder will move up another rung this year when he competes in the European Stock 600 championship.

The prestigious series runs alongside the European rounds of the World Superbike Championship, making up a ten round season that features legendary tracks in France, Spain, Italy and Germany among others, and attracts crowds of up to 100,000.

"I am so excited to get the opportunity to be in the World Superbike paddock," admitted Josh. "I know it is a massive challenge for me. I'm very thankful to Gerry Bryce of Racedays and my family for working so hard to give me this opportunity. 'll just give it my best shot and hope I can give everyone back home something to cheer about."

Josh is currently the only rider from either Ireland or the UK to have registered for the series, and the jump up in class has presented him with something of a leap into the unknown. The 15-year-old admits he still is not sure how he will fare when the racing gets underway.

"Apart from one guy who I raced against in the Red Bull rookies and who started racing 600s the same time as me, I wont have competed against any of them before," he revealed. "I'm doing some pre-season testing on March 10 and after that I should have a better idea. It's going to be mainly a year to gather experience, but after the testing I should know what areas I need to improve on."

Josh and the Racedays team will be using PTR (Parkalgar) prepared engines and K-Tech suspension in their Honda CBR600RR, so Josh will not only have the benefit of riding the same bike as last season but will also have previous knowledge and experience of around half the circuits used during the championship.

"I have competed on about five or six of the tracks before, which will definitely help," he said. "We get very little practice time on the tracks so you have to be able to turn up and go fast straight away. The more knowledge of the track you have the better."

Despite his tender years the 15-year-old has already impressed many with his pace. Right from the dawn of his competitive career as a nine-year-old Mini Moto rider he has consistently demonstrated a special talent, and in 2009 he had a fantastic season aboard a 600 in the IDM German Supersport championship. He created a stir in Germany when he scored points at only 14 and went on to score two podiums at Nurburgring just after his 15th birthday. His final championship position of 13th could well have been inside the top ten had it not been for an accident in Austria which cost him points.

Josh is still trying hard to raise the necessary funding to enable him to maximise his undoubted potential in far flung corners of Europe, and the geographic challenge of the championship not only affects the budget but also the length of time the GCSE student has to spend away from his school desk. "We are going to be away for ten rounds and three days at each, so I'll be away from school a bit," he admitted. "The teachers are not too bad about it though. I just have to make sure I catch up on work when I come back."

It is not just the teachers that Josh is looking to satisfy this year however. He is hoping that his performance on the track attracts interest from team bosses in the paddock. "If I do well this year and I show talent, I think I might get picked up by a world Supersport team," he admits.

If his rapid rise through the ranks continues in a fashion similar to recent years, there seems little doubt Josh will have no shortages of influential admirers.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 18 Feb 10

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