Express & Star

Mcauley Longmore on fast track to motorbike success

Rubbing shoulders with some of the best club motorbike racers in the business is second nature for rising star Mcauley Longmore these days.

Published

The teenager was within a hair's breath of winning his first championship aged just 15 earlier this month (OCT) but in the end had to settle for a superb second place at the Darley Moor Road Racing championships.

Racing in the Formula 125cc class, he had also finished third in the championship the year before, racing around the renowned Derbyshire circuit.

Now the teenager, from Coppice Farm, Willenhall, has set his sights on the bigger 400cc motorbikes – but with GCSEs on the horizon, next year will be all about getting as much practice in as possible before hopefully mounting a challenge in the British Superbike series in 2020.

"He's always been into bikes, since the age of four," said his proud mother, Lisa.

"First he got into motocross but not really racing competitively and followed that up with a brief spell in minimotos.

"But that was all just a stepping stone to race proper motorbikes, so he got his ACU licence at the age of 12 and entered his first season that same year.

"He did a few races but then entered Darley Moor properly, racing in the 125 Aprilla class, last year and came third.

"This year he was leading the championship going into the final round but mechanical problems meant he finished second in the end."

Mcauley, who is also supported by his father, Simon, and younger brother, Codey, aged nine, and sister, Connie, 12, hopes to secure an apprenticeship in motorsport or motorbikes from next September, once his exams have finished.

But he also has his ambitious sights on racing as many tracks in as many club championships as possible from now until the start of the 2020 season.

"Going into 2019, he will be out trying to get as much track time as possible," said Lisa.

"We're using it as a practice year, because he's also got his GCSEs coming up, but he'll be entering a lot of the club championships, like Darley, Thundersport GB, N G Road Racing and Mallory Park.

"The main aim, however, is to eventually race in the British Superbike series.

"He's had a couple of coaching sessions with professional racer Paul Veasey, who has helped him a lot with his technique in, especially getting his knee down going round corners, which is a big thing for racers when they are first starting out.

"Darley Moor instructor Andy has also given Mcauley a couple of one-on-one coaching sessions at the track, giving him some useful tips.

"The Darley photographer Tony Else has also been very supportive and sent him a really nice email after the final round this year, commenting on how much he had come on.

"We have had some support from Andrew Morris and his team, in particular Andrew Kolvachuck, who does a lot of work behind the scenes of Wolverhampton branch of the CWU, the communications union.

"They have also brought us a gazebo to use during the race meetings, so we're very grateful to them.

"We'd also like to thank Ed and the team at Darley Moor, especially the marshals and officials who are mostly made up of volunteers.

"Thanks also go to Maple Hayes School, in Lichfield, for their co-operation in allowing Mcauley to have time off."

Lisa admitted Darley had certainly been a mixed bag in 2018 for her son, who had suffered with a lot of bike trouble.

But when his machine was ticking over nicely, he was always at the front end.

"He thought he did okay and during the first practice session for the final Star at Darley round and everything was going well – he was the fastest 125 out there," she said.

"But come the race and his gears started slipping and apparently he even had to stop during the race to sort it out, so it was an unfortunate end for him.

"His main aim, however, is to eventually enter the British Junior Supersport class, once his GCSEs have finished.

"The plan is to buy a Kawasaki Ninja 400cc next year, which will probably cost about £11,000, so we're also looking for sponsorship for the season because it's an expense sport."

Mcauley is looked for sponsorship for the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, as well as information about future apprenticeship offers. To support him, email maccalongmoreracing@gmail.com