Charlie Nesbitt “I want to always be in the top five”

Charlie Nesbitt has had a difficult start to the Motostar British Championship season, but when we spoke to him, he was extremely positive, motivated and ready for the rest of the year. He has every right to be too, because he is a great young motorcycle rider. Who says so? Well, lots of people including Gary Dawson, the owner of Repli-Cast Racing, the team Nesbitt rides for.

Although he had a high speed crash in race two, he got his first podium position of the 2015 season at last weekend’s Brands Hatch meeting. To some it may sound a bit surprising it has been so long in coming this year, but, the Motostar Championship is, thankfully, a very competitive series this year.

Charlie Nesbitt’s main competitors in the Motostar Championship this year are 17-year-old Taz Taylor, Scott Deroue who is twenty and has ridden in the Moto3 World Championship, Ed Rendell last year’s 125 series winner who is aged 24, Spanish rider Dani Saez, 19, and Jorel Boerboom who is 18. With all due respect to the riders mentioned previously, who are talented riders in their own right, it needs to be remembered that Charlie Nesbitt, with 84 points and 7th in the standings, is just 14 years-old and only seven points from fifth place in the championship.

We spoke to Charlie Nesbitt the Monday after the race weekend to find out how he was after the accident he had and to congratulate him on the podium he achieved in the first race.

Congratulations on your podium at Brands hatch. How are you feeling today?

I’m feeling, err… quite sore, everything else seems to be alright.

What happened did you touch the back wheel of Rendell?

Yeah, Ed and I came together, because I knew I had to stay with the front-runners, with Taz [Taylor] and Scott [Deroue] so I tried to go with them on the first lap, after my terrible start, again, and I braked a bit early, he went round the outside and I clipped his back wheel.

You joined Gary Dawson’s team last season in 2014. How did the deal to ride for Repli-Cast Racing come about?

At the last race of the Aprilia Superteen season someone popped their head in our awning and said, ”I hear your bike is for sale, I’d like to buy it”. So we sold it. We then went to the last race meeting of British Superbike (BSB) and we started asking round. Gary Dawson (Repli-Cast UK) said to us to come along for an interview and we originally signed to ride his 125. Then we met Scott Redding at a function who advised us to get a Moto3. Dad explained that there wasn’t the budget for that. Shortly afterwards Scott Redding rang us up and said he had bought me a Moto3 bike!

It was Scott Redding who kindly bought me the bike, and then Gary Dawson has helped me massively with any upgrades to the bike. Basically I ride to the best of the bike and then when Gary feels like I need it, I earn the new parts for the bike.

Gary Dawson told Cilindrada.NET, that when he met Charlie, “He had manners, ambition and education. He ticked all the boxes then I did my homework and contacted Scott [Redding] to ask him a few questions regarding Charlie as he rode at the newly formed Scott Redding Young Riders Academy…”. It’s Gary Dawson’s philosophy that his riders must start on a standard bike to learn their trade, believing it will make them a better rider in the end. “We reward our riders by making them earn their stripes and Charlie is no exception.”

You are now seventh in the Motostar Championship on 84 points having achieved your first podium of the season at Brands hatch on 18th July. How would you summarise your season so far?

It has been quite unfortunate with some of the crashes I’ve had. They’ve always come in the races, but the last round was really good. We’ve got a new mechanic on board and some other new people to help us and we are definitely going forward.

You also had a big fall in the opening round at Donington Park, didn’t you?

Yeah, that was a big one. I broke a couple of ribs. I remember sort of sliding, I got on the gas a bit too early on a cold tyre, and then Jorel Boerboom accidentally ran me over.

You are also doing FAB-Racing again this year, is that for fun or do you take it seriously?

It is supposed to be for fun, but Fraser Rogers and I are very competitive towards each other, messing about and having a bit of fun.

Who generally wins?

At the start of the season it was him but at the last meeting I won all three races. In the second race I should have won but I got penalized for cutting the track. It wasn’t my fault. I crashed and saw him coming, so I had to cut the track!

What’s it like having a Spanish rider in the satellite team?

I normally speak to Dani and his brother but I don’t know Spanish and he doesn’t know much English.

What are the goals for Charlie Nesbitt for the rest of this year?

To always be in the top five for the rest of the season and to hopefully split the KTMs [of Taz Taylor and Scott Deroue].

And next year?

To be honest I don’t really know until the end of the season. It depends on how the rest of this season goes. I’d like to go to Spain and race there. The weather is much more consistent but it all depends on financial issues.

The Team Owner has no doubt about the young riders talent and potential and whilst he cannot promise anything, he is working hard to try and get him to Spain. “We are hoping to take Charlie to the Junior world Championships next year and we are already looking for backing to be able to supply him with the right machinery without him or his family having to pay out colossal payments to teams just looking for an income. We have plans in place already and have his future mapped out.”, Gary Dawson said.

Which track do you most enjoying racing at and why?

Brands GP believe it or not! The GP part of the circuit is so nice to ride, it’s fast and flowing.

Who else has helped you with your racing this year?

My Dad and Gary [Dawson], family and friends of course, but also Simon Whatley, has just been amazing this year. He has a company called SRS Rail Systems. Warren and Liz at Pacific Naturals have really helped out and of course, Shar Bradford from SB Media Solutions, for all she has done for me.

Thanks for your time and good luck for the rest of the season.

Thank you very much.

When you listen to Charlie Nesbitt you are listening to a determined young man. I wouldn’t bet against him re-visiting the podium this year, nor would I bet against him splitting the KTM’s. Who knows, there might even be a victory in there somewhere too.

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Before Charlie Nesbitt got to where he is now he raced in minimotos and worked his way through the various classes. It all started when he was just three years old. His Dad fixed stabalisers to a restricted minimoto. At six years old he was competing in minimotos championships and won three titles in three years. By 2009 he raced a Metrakit 50cc in the now defunct National pocket bike series and also competed in the FAB-Racing MiniGP50 where he ended the season in 6th. There he raced alongside Joe Francis who is now in the British Superstock 600 series. The following year Nesbitt was 3rd in the series before progressing to a 70cc Metrakit for 2011. That year he was runner-up to Mark Clayton, who happens to also be competing in the Motostar series this year for SP125/Refined Recruitment.

For 2012 Nesbitt went to Spain and was 3rd in the Spanish Catalan Championship where there were often 35 riders at the meetings. However, whilst the experience was great, the cost of the championship was prohibitive, for a six or seven round championship.

Throughout 2013 Charlie Nesbitt rode in the Aprilia Superteens and was the Nitro Newcomers winner and finished 3rd in the overall championship. There he raced against Georgina Polden as well as Bradley Perie, who now races a Kawasaki 650 Supertwin in the Thundersport GB championship.