Kelso bike ace Troy aims to show Brits have got Talent

The 2021 season will see him racing in the Honda British Talent Cup support class in the British Superbikes, on board a Honda NSF 250R.

The tournament consists of eight rounds all over the country and, in August, he is due to race at Silverstone in the support class for Moto GP.

Troy, who turns 13 in July, has been a regular fixture on the local motorsport scene for years and has garnered a lot of attention with his success at minimoto from a very early age.

He is lucky enough to have been picked up by Stiggymotorsport in Kilmarnock, which has a wealth of experience, and team boss Miguel Governo is looking forward to working alongside him.

Troy, perhjaps not surprisingly, is the youngest rider on the grid will have his work cut out against older riders with more experience.

Mum Allyson said: “We have already had an official test down at Snetterton in Norfolk, where there was a very mixed bag of weather.

"Troy did well in getting to grips with the bike and also track conditions.”

The first round is at Oulton Park in Cheshire – a familiar venue to Troy and his family – on the weekend of June 25.

All races are due to be televised on Freeview channels Quest and Eurosport.

“The second round is at our home track of Knockhill on July 9 to 11, when we very much hope spectators will be allowed,” added Allyson.

Troy has continued to train very hard in the winter months to keep his fitness levels up.

Like many, his chosen sport has been considerably affected by coronavirus restrictions over the last year or so.

Last summer, he celebrated his 12th birthday by gaining his SACU race licence, passing his test at Brands Hatch with flying colours.

There was little race action in Scotland at the time but, the following weekend, he was at Donington Park with Allyson and dad Ross for his first race meeting of the season.

Troy was on board a new Aprillia RS125 in the Thundersport GB series, while he picked up more race experience at Darley Moor in Derbyshire.

Back in September, he heard Knockhill was staging a meeting and was understandably desperate to take part.

Troy complemented some front-row qualifying by winning two races out of three at the event.

Troy got his first motorbike at the age of three, a Yamaha pw50, which he rode round some fields in Kelso until it was time to race a minimoto.

Looking ahead to the British Talent Cup, Allyson added: “We are all very proud of Troy to have been given such a great opportunity and now, as a family, are excited for it to start, as it’s taking a lot of planning to get where we are.

“We have been very fortunate to have picked up some local sponsors and pleased to say our long-term sponsor, Jimmy Shanks of Blinkbonny Quarry, is behind us all the way.”

Troy also has a website, www.troyjeffreyracing.com, and is on Facebook at Troy Jeffrey Racing #21.