A teenage superbike rider from Frome is making waves on the national stage as he competes in the British Superteen Championship – the country’s premier superbike racing series for young riders.
17-year-old Casey Sparey has been racing since the age of four and is now competing in the championship which shines a light on the stars of tomorrow and gives young riders, aged between 15 and 20, a chance to race in front of huge crowds at the best circuits in the UK. The series runs alongside the British Superbike Championship and lays the foundations for a potential career as a future Superbike championship rider.
This season, Casey has already competed at Oulton Park in Cheshire, and Donington Park in Leicestershire and is currently preparing for the next round of the championship, set to take place this Saturday 22nd June at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk.
“Everybody in the world wants to race in this championship because it’s the championship to be in – it’s very competitive and prestigious,” said Casey’s dad, Neil, who is also a former racer.
Casey started riding at the age of four on a PW50. He then learnt to ride a minimoto – a small, racing-focused motorcycle – at the Scott Redding Academy, and went on to compete in the British Fab Championship on minimotos and MetraKit miniGP bikes. Now, he rides a Kawasaki ZX-4RR, competing against some of the best young riders in the country.
Casey said, “British Superbikes is everything to me; after not racing for four years, it definitely means a lot to be back racing with people I’ve raced with before. It’s great for me because the only route up from British Superbikes is the world championships which once I get up to the front I cannot wait to get into.
“I’m looking forward to next round of the Championships at Snetterton. In the last two rounds, we had a big issue but we think we’ve got it sorted for the next round and I can’t wait to get out and make some more progression towards the front.”
Much of Casey’s time is spent training, which involves a range of endurance exercises. “He does the occasional swimming, a lot of mountain biking and some running; we’ve also got a turbo trainer,” added Neil. “He’s got to that point in his career now where he needs to look at his diet, now that he’s stepping onto the national scene.”
Neil describes Casey as a ‘total natural’ when it comes to the sport. He said, “When he was about four, we took him to minimoto classes with no intention other than for him to have fun. He did so well, we were advised we should really pursue it. It was never intended – it happened by accident.
“He’s done really well; he’s got that natural ability, and that’s why we’ve had to pursue it.”
If any local businesses would like to sponsor Casey, they can contact Neil on neilsparey@hotmail.co.uk.
