Bradd-Lee is on a mission
By TMX Archives on 10th Jul 14
These are exciting times for 9 year old Bradd-Lee Timmis and his parents, Vicky and Antony Timmis. Most children would love to go to Paris to visit EuroDisney, but not Bradd for he is off to Paris to ride his KTM 65 motor cross bike for Great Britain in the MX Master Kids 2014 international event this weekend, July 12/13
The Timmis family live in Kidsgrove, near Stoke and Bradd-Lee attends Weston Coney Junior School.
In 2010 Antony bought Bradd-Lee his first motorbike (second-hand) at the age of five, after three years of riding a 50cc quad.
Antony recalls "The bike I bought was a 50cc automatic which he took to like a duck to water as it were. He rode on the local small tracks and fields for 3 years just for fun.”
On his eighth birthday, Dad brought him his first brand new motorbike, this time a semi-auto, which meant he had gears, but no clutch. Bradd-Lee, being his usual confident self, took to it right away.
During that year he started entering into races as Antony could see the competitive nature in him while on the practice track. His first race was at Sherwood Forest back in mid-2013. There were 20 riders in the 65cc group and Bradd-Lee came 13th.
He carried on entering race meetings over the next few months and, by the time he had turned nine, he had started closing the gap down on his finishing positions. This spurred Vicky and Antony on to get a better bike.
Vicky revealed, "On his ninth birthday he had a fully geared race bike, a Kawasaki 65. This is where we got his race number from – 589, each number was the age he was when we bought his next bike.”
Bradd-Lee's parents are very supportive of their young son and his talent is beginning to shine through. He has rode through the winter months at different races just to get track time in. In December 2013 he moved onto the KTM65 which he felt was a bike which suited him much better.
Vicky says the progress, practice and races are not without some scares along the way. "With the new year of 2014 he became much more confident on the new bike and started push harder, but harder riding brings harder crashes”, recalled Vicky. "So a couple of minor injuries came and went, bruised legs, a twisted knee and even a black eye”
Antony has invested in a motor home which has been converted to take Bradd-Lee's bikes and a workshop to support at the track, as well as providing a home on wheels.
Antony explained that Bradd-Lee's school has backed the family in their efforts to give him every opportunity to progress in this sport. "He races all over the country at the moment ranging from Landrake to Grimsby. We set off the night before the event and spend the whole weekend doing it, every weekend. The school have been splendid in allowing us a certain number of days which Bradd-Lee can have as authorised absence.
"Over the past 12 months he has really come on and in a race on the June 29 he came third overall. He is getting better as the months go on, training twice a week after school and it really shows. As you can imagine I am really proud of him, even more so as on July 11 to 13 he is racing in France. We head out on the ninth and return on the 14th. He is representing Great Britain in the 65cc under 10s class. So we have stepped up the practice sessions.
Racing, even at Bradd-Lee's tender age is a very serious business and it requires a considerable amount of protective and technical support equipment to be able to compete let alone be successful.
Antony is very grateful to the Greenhous Group for a generous donation towards Bradd-Lee's equipment list. The massive extent of the kit required fully justifies the need for a motor home to contain it. Bradd-Lee has multiple pairs of boots, gloves, tops and bottoms, goggles, three helmets and three sets of body armour, including neck braces. He also has a helmet cam to record his rides and always takes two bikes to competitions.
Antony and Vicky are very aware of the cost, financially as well as in terms of time away from home, of this all-year sport, but they obviously gain enormously as a family from spending so much time together, sharing the experience.
As for Bradd-Lee, he has his feet firmly on the ground for a 9-year-old. He is mature beyond his years, delightfully polite and articulate. When asked about his goals for the future his eyes llight up. "I want to turn professional when I get to 16 and take part in the Supercross in Las Vegas. The first prize is $1 million! Then I want to become the world number one rider.”
Watch out for the name Bradd-Lee Timmis!
Pictured is Bradd-Lee with two of his race bikes and his proud Mum and Dad, Vicky and Antony Timmis.
