The road to the World Junior championship continues at the sandy Fatcat moto park near Doncaster where some of the quickest youth racers in the UK showed up to demonstrate what they are capable of.
With riders like Cohen Jagielski, John Slade and Josh Vail already being tipped as potential stars of the future on the world stage or AMA Supercross, all the riders put on a stunning show for team selectors Dave Willet, Lee Dunham and Glen Phillips.
And the climax is the team is revealed of the riders who will represent team GB in the Junior World Championship ion Holland in July.
so here we are at Fat Cats big shout out to Fat Cats big shout out to Martin thank you for for letting us use the facility for the second time um we did one of our first ever team GB Junior worlds and Coupe days last year here and and we’re back again here now for 2024 um with sites you know on Holland so the facility is actually perfect for for us to use uh good training for the kids we’ve got a good turnout um good atmosphere already really looking forward to uh to watching the boys out on track firstly thanks so much for turning up to our 2024 team Great Britain Junior world’s days um thanks all for coming I’m sure you’ve already seen the circuit and you see that the circuit is in great shape days like today for me is a massive opportunity it’s a really really good insight into one seeing how you guys are on the circuit but also seeing how you are in the pits as well seeing how you interact and also building that Rapport up with the Riders so that when it comes to days like what we’ve got in Holland and also at Loup in Belgium um working with the Riders and building that relationship up so obviously I’ve got Glenn here um obviously you can see he’s kitted up and he’s ready to ride um for those who don’t really know Glenn is in my opinion and in most people’s opinion the most winest youth Rider that we have in the UK he has won everything 60 Championship British Championship 80 British Championship British Championship under 21 British Championship also at 14 years old he was doing his exams but also flying in and out of grand pris whilst he was still at school massive massive amount of knowledge right there he has got the knowledge base behind him right to direct you and help you through where you guys are now battling all of the you know the life lessons and what you got at school plus all of the ride stuff that we’ve got going on as well the knowledge base that he has is huge use him Dave probably one of the few people in the world to be riding testing developing every single bike manufacturer model you name it across the globe we pulled Dave we pulled Glenn into so many different situations when it come to Romania helping bikes go through noise control going through uh different jetting situations suspension situations uh there’s a few people here that will also back me up Cohen and also Gigi wherever you are getting those bikes through into the races the knowledge base that we have on my right hand side is massive use that information that these guys have got but also think about the circuit think about where in which you can improve opening up to that asking us because that’s how we end up moving forward that’s how we end up building that rapport with you so that we can learn once we’ve got the track developed just a little bit more then we are going to go into helping we’re going to coach we’re going to help we’re going to break the circuit down and we’re going to work on parts of the circuit with you all w a my name is Josh Vale I’m 15 years old and I’m from scum for well I got my first bike when I was about 5 and then we just we had a track just down the road so we just went and did a little bit there and then I got into it more and more and we just raced from the age of six till now I’m 15 so it’s been weekend yeah well towards the end of last year I just starting to get a bit big 385 and I couldn’t wait to jump on it and and I raced mly at the end of last year straight onto it and I knew straight from then that I was going to love it and then every weekend I’m just feeling so much better on the bike so uh there’s still small improvements hopefully we can make a couple more seconds on every track now and then and keep improving every weekend and hopefully we’ll be at the top of the end of the year I’m racing the fastest 40 the dirt store and and then I’m doing a couple of emx is like my goal is to make a job out of it and do it as my career Till I Retire a hi my name is sunny Rooney I’m 15 years old and it’s been on 125 now for about um six seven months um I moved up in I think it was just before October and maybe early October I was started on a KCM then we moved to the 125 uh Yamaha we had quite a few problems with the KTM with all the fuel injected new stuff so then made a switch to the yaha and yeah we haven’t got back since um well when we first SC it was obviously a lot different cuz all the chassis and everything built different but adapt I think I’ve adapted to it quite well um I think the only difference is it might be a little bit little bit less on the bottom end but I think it makes up in the corners cuz it handles a lot better in my opinion yeah um we been doing a few in we started the season um doing a few in Holland we completed the Dutch Masters Championship when pretty good and and then we’re going to finish the remainder of the fastest 40 and maybe a few byn man hopefully a couple of EMS okay what about the the the world juniors you did it last year yeah did it did it last year didn’t end up going my way just don’t know just didn’t form on the day but yeah it’ be nice if we can go again this year and TR and get give it another go here get some Laps on the track obviously if we do get picked if all go to fin we get picked it’ll be nice to go and race and you know fly the flag for the team yeah well the goal would be just to qualify this year cuz obviously first year on a 125 it wouldn’t be as much pressure as last year where last year I was one of the main guys in 85 you could say so yeah this year it’ll be nice to it’ll be good to just get picked and if we make it there then we want to qualify and then the goal is probably top 20 so it’s like just see how it goes hopefully don’t want to say too much too soon well the goal is to be world champion obviously but obviously got to set realistic goals you know and keep working towards it you know of all goes to plan and world champions last all pick off yeah this year’s been like stepping in right direction where took it more serious this winter and I think it’s paying off quite well oh kski I’m 11 years old and I’m from U nor KS what championships you doing this year the British The Bridge Stone the emx the worlds and the Czech Republic what what is it about riding motorcross that you like did the fun stuff about it what’s the best bit of the track uh the corners yeah v um one both races so you think you’re doing a lot better this year than you were last year yeah why do you think that is standing up on two wheels oh be professional when I’m old to be Pro what would you like to race in the British or the world or mxgp mxgp you got like super cross but I love watching him but I don’t want to do it you do Arena crosses I was going to but then couple days before my ankle and uh what do you do away from m b um swimming um on my scooter on the gym really and think do you do well at school all right would be your dream this year if you can win anything what would it be the world and um Czech Republic Happ my name’s J Slade um and I’m 10 years old yeah I ride um 65 gas gas number 288 as you can see um I like the bike it’s fun to ride I was riding the gas gas 50 and then um when I came up to 65 I wanted to ride gas gas again my favorite track is Fat Cats I like it cuz it’s Sandy well I like Supercross as well so I have Supercross track in my garden so yeah I went to America and I raced Daytona Daytona Supercross I done the Ricky car Michael day and AMA um Arena cross I in the AMA Arena cross I got two seconds and then for that Ricky car Michael day I got two eights it it’ll probably be to be a professional Super Cross Rider I do I do indoors and Outdoors it’s fun and you get to earn a lot of trophies yeah it’s fun but then when you’re on the track so you’re friends in the pet but when you’re on track you’re not friends my dad my dad used to race actually but he didn’t ride that much BRS my granddad wouldn’t take him out he didn’t like it yeah I’m friends with Max Hy um when I go to America I go down to his house a bit’s your hero my hero that oh there’s a lot of riders out there in there that clearly have done some H work over the winter um it’s pretty easy to see those isn’t it obviously there’s some more out there um we want to see them but the ones that we got down here yeah it’s I mean it’s been good we’ve been on two days now and they’ve been really successful I’ve been happy with the turnout so I can’t thank them people enough for coming and supporting you know even when they’re not um they’re not going to be selected for the team but they’re just showing up and they’re supporting the team and supporting what we’re doing and understand a program right yeah it goes a long way really I think that does so you know there’s there’s a lot of people that that are showing some a commitment yeah um and that makes me quite happy aside from obviously The Talented names as well that we’ll that we’re going through and looking at at the minute ACU license is a must ACU National event um fim if you’re doing the European as well and also the days that we’re doing you know they this is basically for kids to have a cheaper alternative to put themselves into the shop window right and actually ride with the kids and show and show what they’re made of and what they’re what they’re potentially made of so I mean for me today you know it was good for um sorry it was Max Harris right yeah yeah you know we’d never seen him before um but it was good to see him ride around the track um and all of a sudden you know I’m not saying that he’s well he’s put himself in the sharp window haven’t he yeah yeah and he’s definitely would be on on a short list well with a the shadow so we just got to see you know what happens moving forward from from here to and we built a rapport haven’t we with those Riders the riders that have been you know the races of things it’s all right seeing their names in in the program and and the results but it’s always nice putting faces to those names building rapport with the families building rapport with the Riders seeing them actually out on track and seeing how workable they are as well because when we’re out there we are the team aren’t we well they got TR they got to trust us as much as we trust them we got to work together I mean what one of the good things with today was with the the the faster boys right so there’s not a lot really that we can point them in the right direction when they’re riding around as quick as that they are uh today but then just saying look boys we can we just suggest that you move over here create a new line there to see them take that on board without question without question just do it as well and then go then a few say well I’m struggling to maybe a little bit over there I don’t really like this turn on this track and then you know keep it light and that was um that was refreshing to hear it was inspiring wasn’t it to see to see older Riders um almost leading the example to the younger Riders seeing that you know it’s easy for a younger Rider think oh bloody hell there’s someone there that’s going really really fast and going really really well but they also need the support and they need the help as well don’t they and that feedback that we got for them you could you could instantly tell on the circuit that they were you know the confidence was growing the Comfort level just grew straight away what a day today’s been been absolutely awesome watching the boys ride out on track um really good really good positive day loads of riding loads of so much riding out on the track that the track developed absolutely perfect big shout out to Neil prep the track we was a little bit worried about the track being actually graded we wanted the track rough so but we wanted to track rough so the boys could experience you know and have it a little bit more tougher and we could really kind of see where everybody’s at but actually it was it yeah it paid it paid to have the track nice fresh flat start off with yeah again can’t thank everybody enough for their support um really good just real good feedback real positive it’s it’s it’s buzzing at the minute in the UK and that’s yeah that’s that’s what we want it to be that’s where we want to be and we can’t wait to get to to Holland if I’m honest it should be good and we’re looking forward to going and having some fun um yeah at the junior WS this year Turtle yeah you need two of you