Motosport Yamaha

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Off to a racing start

At just eighteen years old, racing motorcyclist Kyle Nevin is keen to take on Motocross and Supercross champions already.

His ultimate vision is to race off-road in the US and he would love to eventually compete against high level racers, such as his US off-road racing idol, James Stewart.

He is well and truly on his way as he works with motorcycles as an apprentice mechanic at Motosport Yamaha and has already created a competitive racing reputation in off-road events throughout north Queensland.

Racing background

Kyle said, “I have been around motorcycles all my life and started riding a PeeWee50 when I was six years old and have been repairing my bikes with my Dad and competing in races ever since”.

As a member of both the Townsville Motor Cycle Club and Motorcycling Queensland, also since he was six years old, Kyle has been heavily involved in Motocross and Supercross races across the region for nearly thirteen years. He says his favourite highlight so far is winning the NQ Title in 1995.

Kyle now rides in A Grade events in the Light (250cc) and Open (450cc) categories and has built such a strong reputation that he has garnered a number of sponsorships and race team offers already.

In 2010, his reputation extended into NSW resulting in Sydney based Moss Institute, which provides leading edge Motocross and Supercross training, inviting Kyle to become part of their team of professional riders. Unfortunately he sustained injuries while there and moved back to Townsville in December 2010 after only four months.

Sponsorships

Kyle was quick to mention the support he has received from local sponsors and businesses as they have enabled him to continue pursuing his racing dreams since getting over that injury.

He said "Magnetic Steel and Gary Nevin Blinds got together to build a racing trailer for me so I can get my bikes and racing gear to the various race meets in Queensland, and Mobile Radio NQ pays for my travelling costs and entry fees, which is great.”

His latest sponsorship deal includes two sets of O’Neill racing gear and quality Motol lubricants and oils as part of his deal to ride for the Motosport Yamaha team. Unfortunately he crashed in his first race under these colours in March 2011 and has been out of the racing circuit since then.

“I was in the lead at Ravenshoe and was pushing hard but I high-sided it. I snapped the radius bone in five places and tore three ligaments in my wrist, and there is still a bit of bone floating somewhere around in there,” he said.

Racing career plan

Kyle is now looking forward to his return to racing for Motosport Yamaha on 22 January at Woodstock. He said this race is a test for him and he is hoping he has fully recovered from injury so he can get back into building his racing career.

He said, “My ultimate goal is to carve out an off-road career in a Motocross or Supercross race team, especially in the US, and a close second choice is to be involved in the off-road racing industry as a personal trainer to help riders build their mental and physical strength.

“To be one of the best riders, you need to have your mind, spirit, and body function at the same high level of performance as your highly tuned racing machine.”

Mechanic apprenticeship

Meanwhile, he plans to work hard to get through his apprenticeship quicker than normal to build his skills and be able to take his plans onto the next level as soon as possible.

“The mechanics at Motosport Yamaha are excellent and are very easy to approach with any mechanical questions. I like learning how to do things the right way as they are very particular about meeting manufacturer specifications. And this is one of the few workshops in Townsville that is air conditioned, so it makes for a very good work environment,” he said.

Kyle also said the best thing about working for his sponsor is getting the first jump on new products and accessories in Townsville.