Keiran Smith

Thanks to my parents, I got into riding at a young age. On my 5th birthday I received my first bike, a 50cc Pull Start Motocross Bike, which I rode as much as possible, from grass fields to small motocross tracks. As I got older, I progressed to my next bike - the KTM 65. I struggled massively getting to grips with the clutch and changing gears, that I started to enjoy riding less and less, to the point where I took a year out from riding. However, one weekend, I watched my brother Christian (also racing in the BMW F 900 R Cup) ride his motocross bike. For the entire day I could not stop smiling at the sound of the bike and how much fun it looked. Luckily, my dad kept my KTM 65, and I told him I was finally ready to give it another go! After some practice and getting used to the bike, I started to enjoy riding again. I then moved up to a KTM 85 Small Wheel, and shortly after, I began to compete in my first club level Motocross Championship.

I eventually made the big switch from dirt to tarmac. Christian and I watched my dad race in Thundersport on his BMW S 1000 RR, and from that weekend on, Christian was adamant that he wanted to go circuit racing, bugging our parents at every possible opportunity to have a go on a track bike. I was not as keen as I had just started to enjoy Motocross again and didn’t want to make another switch. My parents bought us a Ron Haslam Race School experience to see if it was what we wanted to do. It was probably the best and worst decision my parents have ever made, because it introduced us into racing on tarmac but has depleted their finances!

Throughout the entire day at the Ron Haslam Race School, I was smiling and laughing in my helmet all the way around Donington Park. I couldn’t believe how much fun and smooth it felt - oh, and not having to spend five hours of cleaning the bike afterwards was a bonus!

After my experience at Donington Park my parents bought me a Kawasaki Ninja 300. I started racing in Thundersport Superteens under a Racing Academy for two years, ran by a very successful racer who coached us closely. Ryan Strafford transformed Christian and I from Club Level racers to British Junior Supersport racers. I then competed in HEL Performance British Junior Supersport for two years aboard a new Kawasaki Ninja 400, where I had fairly good results, finishing within the top ten for most of my time in the class.

At the end of 2022, Bowker Motorrad, who have had some very successful racers like Dan Jones, Luke Mossey, and Brad jones ride for them, gave me the opportunity to race in the new BMW F 900 R Cup for them. I’ve experienced a range of bikes throughout the years - however this is easily one of the most enjoyable ones I’ve ridden to date.

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