ASSEN, ST ANGELO AND NEXT UP – MOTOGP SELECTION FOR 13-YEAR-OLD SCOTT SWANN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DREAM YEAR FOR SCOTT SWANN IN KTM RC JUNIOR CUP

Scott Swann has just completed a dream year in the Santander Consumer Finance KTM British Junior Cup, taking third place overall in his rookie season in British championship and getting to compete at the KTM RC Cup World Finals at Assen in the Netherlands.

But the season is not over yet, and having secured two wins in the Production 300cc/Lightweight class on Saturday in the Irish championship, the 13-year-old schoolboy is off to Spain in just over a week’s time for the Red Bull Rookies Cup MotoGP selection.

Recounting his last few weeks, young Scott takes it up in his own inimitable words…

“I was back riding Irish championship last weekend, which was a wee bit different to Assen, but we had a great day back at the St Angelo round of the Irish Championships. With sunny weather and some good racing it was good to see all my home mates again. I got two great starts and led both races from start to finish. Thanks to everyone that came to support me."

The previous week it was Assen in the Netherlands for the KTM RC Cup World Finals, where Scott took 15th place overall, which was a phenomenal achievement for the youngster at the famous Cathedral of Speed. The very same venue where Jeremy McWilliams took his solitary Grand Prix victory back in 2001.

The Grand Prix winning Ulsterman, now a mentor to the young riders in the KTM series, proved invaluable to young Swanny, as he looked to master the technical 2.824-mile Dutch circuit with its 18 turns.

“It was a bit harder than most tracks to learn as it’s so very fast and precise. Jeremy McWilliams helped me a lot: all through the three sessions he was out on the track watching and would then tell me where and how to improve on each corner. It made a massive deference and by the end of qualifying I was the fastest British rider.

“The first race I had an okay start and after a few laps there were seven of us in a group all dicing for 13th place. We were changing places every corner on every lap. In the group I was also dicing with my UK KTM team mates Aaron Wright and Jack Nixon, and on the last lap I had got to the front of the group and was planning on trying a pass on my friend Jack in the famous last corner chicane. But just as I went for the move, Aaron passed me on the outside we ended up going over the line – Jack 13th Aaron14th and me 15th. What an amazing race it was and I took another two seconds off my lap times.

“I was really up for a better second race and a good start. I wanted to try and get closer to the lead group, but at the end of the first lap, on the brakes into the chicane, I hit a false neutral and ran over the kerbs and lost a lot of places. I was back in about twenty-third place, but fought back to 17th at the line.

“That gave me 15th overall in my first ever World Final. I was very happy with that, although if not for the mistake, I think I could have done a bit better in the second race. But that’s racing. After the race the German organiser told me that I was the youngest rider in the race and that the top 15 riders [apart from Aaron Jack and myself] had all been there before, so I was happy with that. I think we did okay.

"I would say that Assen is now one of my favourite tracks: it is so fast and flowing, it’s amazing, I would love to race on tracks like that every week; hopefully we can do a lot more next year.

"We had some brilliant craic over the weekend with Paul and Dave from Team 109 and one of my sponsors Michael (“Yank”) and Josh Atkinson from Valvenet, scoffing lots of steaks and Pizza in the local town of Borger. I think the Dutch people are probably the nicest people of any country I have ever been to and I can’t wait to go back.

"I got some more good news when I got home and found out that I'd been invited to attend the Red Bull Moto GP Rookies Cup selection event in Guadix, Spain. There are three thousand or so applicants worldwide and 100 then get invited to the event.

"Out of the 100 at the event, ten or so will get picked to ride in the Red Bull Rookies Cup in the MotoGP paddock next season. I know it is really difficult and almost impossible to get picked, as there are so many really good young riders around the world and especially in Britain. But we will have a go. It’s where I want to race in the future, so you never know.

"Well that’s the end of our official KTM Junior Cup Championship races and World Final and what an amazing year it has been, but it’s not completely over yet."

Thanks always to all my sponsors Team #109, Valvenet.net - Michael Atkinson, Abbey Medicare - Rory McMahon , IFS Global Logistics- Graeme Hanna, FonAcab -William McCausland, Bikeworld Ireland - Les Griffin, EMS Copiers, HD Finch Reprographics, BMC Bikes.

ENDS

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