It was back in November 2015 the official announcement was made that Charlie Nesbitt had signed for e3 motorsport / Redline KTM for the 2016 Hel Performance Motostar British Championship. He then had to wait until March 2016 before he could actually ride the Kalex KTM which he powered to the Championship title in 2016.
From the beginning Nick Carpenter was impressed with his new signing. At that first test Nesbitt’s new boss was full of compliments for Nesbitt, “Considering it was only 5 degrees temperature and with a little bit of drizzle in the morning you would think he had been on the KTM all year. Stunning!”
Nesbitt was full of praise for his team too at the end of the season saying,” Nick Carpenter and the team gave me all the tools I needed to progress and develop as a rider in 2016.”
The young rider from Swindon had shown in 2015 he was a potential race winner when he reached the podium five times and claimed a lap record. For 2016 the goal was always the title.
The season finally got underway on the weekend of the 8-10 April 2016 at Silverstone. It couldn’t have started any better for Charlie Nesbitt. He took victory in the opening race by just over two seconds. The second race at Silverstone took several riders by surprise. The track conditions were much cooler for race two and Nesbitt was one of nine riders to crash out.
“I think the reason a lot of riders crashed out at the beginning of the race was that the air temperature dropped and the wind picked up, and with the slim tyres it cooled them off quickly so by the start of the race the tyres were cold”.
Three weeks later Nesbitt qualified sixth in damp conditions but went on to win the only race that weekend by 6.8 seconds. The Indy circuit at Brands Hatch followed towards the end of May. He finished sixth in the first race which was a chaotic affair. Some riders made a late switch from dry to wet tyres whilst others left in a dry rear. A few opted to stay on slicks as the weather confused everyone. In the second race of the weekend Nesbitt was back on the top step of the podium.
From then on Nesbitt went on to win 12 of the next 13 races, took the lap record at the Knockhill round and wrapped up the championship title with four races to spare. When asked about how he maintained his focus and didn’t get distracted during his winning streak Nesbitt replied, “I maintained my focus by keeping my mind on the end prize and what it would feel like at the end of the season after the championship was won.”
He didn’t make the trip to Assen, as Nick Carpenter’s wife was undergoing some medical treatment but came back in winning form at Brands Hatch race one at the final round.
His margin over the second placed rider was a huge 112 points which illustrated his superiority in the GP class this year.
To top off an already fantastic season Charlie Nesbitt was invited to attend the Red Bull Rookies Cup selection event. Nesbitt competed alongside 117 other riders from around the world and was one of only 11 riders to be selected.
Charlie Nesbitt has also just completed a one day test in Valencia for the Monlau Competición Team. Afterwards Charlie Nesbitt said, “The set-up was out of this world. The team couldn’t have been any friendlier, and they helped me with everything I needed help with and more. The experience was just amazing.”
2017 is looking like it could be a very exciting year for the 15-year-old rider from Swindon.