Keelby racer Mikey Large-Taylor bids for top-10 finish

Up-and-coming motorcycle racer Mike Large-Taylor is gunning for a top-10 championship finish in his third season of competition on the national stage.
Mike Large-Taylor one day aims to emulate his heroes by racing at the Isle of Man TT EMN-180823-132102002Mike Large-Taylor one day aims to emulate his heroes by racing at the Isle of Man TT EMN-180823-132102002
Mike Large-Taylor one day aims to emulate his heroes by racing at the Isle of Man TT EMN-180823-132102002

The Keelby plumbing and heating engineer is in sight of is goal, lying ninth in the British Junior Supersport Championship standings after solid and consistent results at Snetterton and particularly at the four-race weekend at Knockhill, in Scotland.

His consistency shone through again last time out at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit with point-scoring rides over the four races.

Having struggled with suspension and cornering issues initially, by the end of the weekend he had improved his lap times by three seconds.

His form has allowed him to shift his target slightly, to a top-eight finish in the series as the championship moves on to Silverstone from September 7 to 9.

Large-Taylor was first bitten by the motorcycling bug as a young teenager when watching his road racing heroes at the Isle of Man TT in 2012, getting his first race bike – a KTM RC390 – just a few months after turning 17.

He made his debut that year at Silverstone in the KTM British Junior Cup, on the undercard of the British Superbike Championship, and spent his first season learning his craft.

His most memorable results to date came the following season in the same championship, securing his first top-10 when finishing seventh at his local track, Cadwell Park, in front of a huge crowd.

The 20-year-old’s best result came soon after at Oulton Park as he crossed the line in fifth, and the two circuits, along with the Brands Hatch GP track, have become firm favourites.

He said: “The KTM cup gave me very good experience and prepared me not just from a riding perspective, but also learning and gaining much knowledge that you need over weekends in a race paddock.

“It was a great grounding for my first season in the British Junior Supersport Championship.”

Mikey rides number 88, the year his sister Jade was born and a big number in American NASCAR racing which he has been a fan of from a young age.

Large-Taylor has ambitions to race at the Isle of Man TT among other road races as he looks to hoover up more experience for his racing career.

He added: “We would like to thank our sponsors for their valuable help – HMG Paints and Westobys for supplying the paints to make the bike look great, Forge Welding for any welding/metal works we have needed, and Little Green Dragon Motorbike shop for supplying the team with a paddock scooter.

“MSS Performance have also given me huge help with the bike, Dainese Wolverhampton for the leathers and other clothing, and a big thanks to my dad Shane for giving up a lot of time and putting in massive effort to make my racing dream become possible.”

* Any local business who would like to become a team sponsor, call Mike on 07745 611448 or Shane on 07752 437328.