MOTORCYCLING: Hotshot Aaron's on the rise

YOUNGSTER Aaron Maxfield is experiencing a meteoric rise in the motorsport world – and he is only 13.

The Wootton Bassett ace first tried pocket bike racing in 2007 at the indoor circuit at Hullavington, five miles south west of Malmesbury, and has not looked back since.

Last year he won the National Novice Championship and finished seventh in the GP 50 class of the British Championships, despite having missed three rounds.

He was also second in the National Team Challenge and perhaps most impressively, was runner-up in the National GP 50 having first ridden a gearbox bike just 10 months previously.

Next on the cards for the teenager is the Aprilia Superteens starting in March, a highly-rated championship that takes in the likes of Mallory Park, Snetterton and Brands Hatch.

The championship, broadcast on Motors TV, runs alongside the Nitro Newcomers Championship and offers Maxwell the chance to ride an Aprilia RS 125cc bike against the cream of young riders from across the globe.

His mum Louise Liddell has been behind her son every step of his journey, and she is justifiably proud of her son’s achievement.

She said: “You put him on the bike and he’s so focused, and he’s got to be, because the physical demands of a race weekend is enormous.

“He doesn’t want to come second, he wants to win.

“As far as he’s concerned his career will be to ride in the GPs like Valentino Rossi. That’s his dream and it’s a good target for him.

“Racing has changed him for the better a made him a much more confident person in everyday life.

“It’s the best thing that could have happened to him.”

In order to guarantee his place in the Superteens, Maxfield must first attain his ACU licence, which allows him to race on the larger tracks.

He will be attempting to pass the relevant tests at the end of this month, leaving him little track time before the championship starts in earnest.

And while his mum admitted she would like her son to have a bit more time to prepare, she was confident he would cope with being thrown in at the deep end.

“Because he doesn’t have an ACU licence he can’t ride on the tracks yet,” she said.

“But I’m sure he will throw himself into it and soon it will be like sitting in an armchair again.”