Taking a step-up in class in his stride, 15-year-old Taz Taylor, from Mansfield Woodhouse, gained a podium finish in the Monster Energy Motostar British Championship 125cc GP class at Donington Park last weekend.
Running alongside the Moto3 250cc championship, Taz crossed the line in fifth place overall, and second place in the 125cc GP class, earning himself his first podium finish in this challenging series.
Taz, sponsored by Two Wheel Centre and riding the FPW Luyten Honda 125cc GP, started from tenth on the grid, but after a troublesome first corner, he found himself dropped back to twelfth. However, in a thrilling race, Taz picked off one bike after the next, climbing back to a clear second place in the 125cc GP class and a podium finish.
What makes this an even more amazing feat, and is a testament to Taz’s riding prowess, is that he had never ridden competitively at Donington before, prior to the two days ahead of the race in which they practiced and qualified in exceptionally wet weather. Despite the poor conditions, which included streams of water running across the track, Taz took the opportunity to hone his technique, taking over 3 seconds off his time (1:42:998) and perfecting his approach to Craner Curves, a particularly testing part of the track, improving his speed by 11mph through the infamous bends.
Taz, a pupil of the local Samworth Church Academy, now looks forward to the next round in Assen this weekend (20th-22nd September). Television coverage is available as part of the British Superbikes line-up.