July & Aug 2025 - Lots of Racing

Feeling like I could take on the world, I kicked off my final week of rider formation with a monstrous century ride. One hundred miles on the bike, 5,500 feet of climbing—it absolutely wrecked me. But as I crossed the finish line, completely spent, I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment. This ride was more than just a physical challenge; it was a mental reset, a way to prove to myself that I can push past my limits and achieve anything I set my mind to. And a huge shout-out to my amazing Alcavi bike—it's been a workhorse all year and handled every single mile like a champ.

Just one week later, with the adrenaline from my century ride still buzzing, I was on my way to Navarra for Round 4 of the ESBK championship. This opportunity had landed in my lap just two weeks earlier, during my rider formation training. My coach, Dani, got a text from a team owner in a pinch—they needed a replacement for their Portuguese rider, and fast. Since I had the weekend free, Dani put my name forward. This wasn't just any team; it was a World Championship-level squad, and I knew this was my shot to prove myself.

I’d be riding a Kawasaki 400 in the Supersport 300 class, which is like the junior cup of the World Superbike series. I'd never set foot in the ESBK paddock before, but I immediately clicked with the team. It felt completely surreal to be surrounded by massive championship-size trucks and have my own garage—just like you see on TV. Working with a world-class team and having a dedicated space to prep the bike has always been a dream of mine.

After a quick intro and an all-important track walk, I got some rest, ready for practice to start on Thursday. I’d ridden at Navarra before, but they’d changed the layout since my last visit, making it more technical. And to top it off, this would be my first time seriously riding a Kawasaki 400 and my first time on Pirelli tires. Having raced on Dunlop my whole career, I knew I had to go into the weekend with an open mind, ready to learn, make changes, and ultimately, have a good time on the bike.

On Thursday, the goal was simple: get a feel for the bike and collect some initial data. After a quick adjustment to the rear set and clip-ons, I was back out and immediately felt at home, putting down competitive lap times surprisingly fast. Debriefing with my crew chief and data technician was a game-changer—he broke down the information so clearly that I knew exactly what to do. Back on the track, I immediately shaved time off my laps and noticed I was already making passes, a huge confidence boost.

Friday was showtime. The first free practice session was an opportunity to prove what we had, and I was excited to get to it. I improved my lap time from the day before within three laps and was pushing hard on my fourth. Trying to keep up with some of the faster guys, I made a small mistake, hitting a false neutral and having a minor tip-off. No big deal. The team got me back out with eight minutes left, and on my second flying lap, I improved my time by seven-tenths of a second! That was a massive turning point, showing the team my true potential.

With my confidence soaring, I went into the afternoon's session with a clear goal. The team sent me out with my teammate, the championship leader, and I was able to push hard, finishing the session in P9. Ending the day inside the top 10 was a massive win for everyone. The team was beyond proud, and Dani and I knew we were ready for what came next.

Qualifying on Saturday was my first real test with the new Pirelli tires. They felt incredible—so much grip! I put in a solid lap time, but with my limited experience on them, I didn't quite get everything out of them. I qualified in P12, which wasn't my goal, but I wasn't worried. I've always been a better racer than a qualifier, and I had a feeling I could make a strong run for it.

That afternoon, it was time for Race 1. My start was perfect, and I immediately began picking off riders. I got to the front of the second pack and even pulled a small gap, riding hard to a fantastic P7 finish. Coming all the way from P12 to finish in seventh was a huge accomplishment for me and the team. I was just one place shy of the official Kawasaki podium, and even more impressive, four of the riders who beat me were World Superbike riders! Finishing so close to the front guys had everyone buzzing with excitement. We knew our mission for Sunday's race was clear: from P7 on the grid, we were going for a run with the lead pack.

After three intense days on the track, my body was definitely feeling it, but the excitement for Sunday's race overshadowed the soreness. Starting from P7, right where I left off, I knew I had a real shot at running with the front guys. The lights went out, and my start was clean. I was right there in the mix with the lead pack for the first lap and a half, but a bold move from a rider behind me caused a slight separation. I pushed hard, creating a gap to the rest of the field, and brought the bike home in P6.

While I'm thrilled with the result—a huge improvement from the previous day—I can't help but feel a little "unfortunate" that I wasn't able to stay with the lead pack. I know I had the pace. Even so, I'm absolutely ecstatic with my performance. The team was incredible, making me feel right at home and showing an amazing level of professionalism. A massive shout-out to Dani and Arnau for this unforgettable opportunity!

No time to rest! After my incredible ESBK run, I was already on a flight back to the UK for Round 4 of the British Talent Cup at Brands Hatch. This place is iconic—full of blind corners and massive elevation changes. I knew with the momentum from my last few weeks, I was poised for a breakthrough weekend.

I hit the track on Thursday, walked the circuit, and debriefed with the team, sharing all the details from my trip to Spain. We got to work, and FP1 on Friday was a solid start with a P6 finish. The bike needed some tweaks, but the feeling was good, and we knew we could improve. After analyzing the data, we made a crucial change for FP2. It was exactly what we needed. I closed the gap to the front, put down a competitive lap time, and left the track on Friday feeling confident and ready for a big weekend ahead.

Saturday morning hit us with a familiar challenge: qualifying. It's been our Achilles' heel, and for some reason, we just couldn't nail that single-lap pace. But we didn't let that get to us. We put the qualifying position behind us and focused on our race plan. I got a strong start in the race, making up three positions on the first lap. While the front group managed to pull away, I dug deep and maximized every inch of the track, bringing the bike home in P6. It wasn't the result we wanted, but it was the best we could do that day. I gave the team my feedback, and we were already looking ahead, ready to make a plan for Sunday's warm-up and turn things around.

Sunday morning warm-up felt great. The bike was on point, and I knew with my slightly better grid position for Race 2, a good start could make all the difference. To top it off, I had some incredible support in the stands. My dad's coworker, Ryan, along with his family, came out to watch, and having them there made me feel right at home. It was so cool to have that support! I wanted to put on a great show for them, but the race didn't go as planned.

I got a solid start, but once again, the front group just vanished. It was like watching them ride off into the sunset, with nothing I could do to catch up. I finished in P8, a result I was not happy with. I gave the team my feedback, and they promised to work on the bike's issues in the two weeks before our next race at Thruxton.

Right after the British Talent Cup, I was on a flight home, only to turn right back around two days later for the next round of the MotoAmerica Talent Cup at Virginia International Raceway. It was a huge relief to have my dad and Timmy back with me—the dream team was reunited! I had a great feeling about this weekend.

I'd never seen VIR before, but my big bro, Sean Dylan Kelly, walked the track with me and gave me the rundown on everything I needed to know. I immediately fell in love with it—so many fast, flowing corners. Free Practice 1 felt great. The bike was working well, and I found my rhythm quickly, finishing the session in P3. It was a very promising start, but there was still a gap to the front guys that we needed to close. We made a small change to the bike and got ready for the afternoon's qualifying session.

Qualifying 1 didn't go as planned. Because of my strong FP1 finish, a lot of riders came out with me, and I got caught up in traffic the entire session. It was my mistake for not coming in sooner. I ended up in a disappointing P7, but I knew we had the pace. If the track stayed dry in the morning, I was confident we could turn things around.

Unfortunately, our dry-track dreams didn't come true. It rained all night and into Saturday morning, making Qualifying 2 a complete wash. We knew all our hopes for a good starting position rested on the race itself. I got the start I needed, making up positions and getting up to P3 by the end of the first lap. I was right on the tail of the second-place rider, with the leader in my sights. But my race was over almost as soon as it started. Another rider, not using his head or his brakes, barreled into the back of me in Turn 1 and took us both out.

I was fuming. You've probably seen the footage—my frustration was obvious, but this rider has a history of reckless moves. It's incredibly frustrating when someone else's mistake ends your race, especially after I had such a strong start. Still, we focused on the positives. That first lap proved that I had the pace and was ready to fight at the front.

A Sincere Apology
After the crash, in the heat of the moment, my emotions got the better of me. When I went over to the other rider, I put my hands on him. I want to sincerely apologize for that. In racing, we’re all focused on the win, and sometimes emotions can boil over. But there's no excuse for getting physical. It's a lesson I'll carry with me, and I'll work on handling my frustration better, both on and off the track.

Sunday morning warm-up was exactly what we needed. I went out by myself, pushing the pace and dropping a significant amount of time off my best lap. I knew right then and there I had the speed for a great race.

Race 2 was all about the start. I executed a near-perfect first lap, but the two front runners managed to get just far enough ahead to break the draft. While I still had a shot at the podium, everyone in the group behind me had the advantage of the draft, and they were simply too fast on the straights. On the final lap, I took a risk, pushing the final corner to the absolute limit. It paid off—until the last straightaway. Two riders breezed past me, and I finished the race in a hard-fought P5.

It wasn't the position we were fighting for, but my riding was strong, and that's what truly matters. We knew we had the pace. A huge thank you to Cameron Jones and his father, as well as Honda Racing USA and Idemitsu, for their incredible support all weekend and season.

14hr drive home from VIR, arriving home at 4am on Monday and back on a plane at 4pm Monday afternoon for my flight to the UK. Fresh off the plane, I was back in the UK for Round 5 of the British Talent Cup at Thruxton! We arrived at the circuit on Thursday morning, got everything prepped, and I immediately felt good. I’ve always loved Thruxton—it's a super fast and fun track, and I knew we were set for a big weekend.

I hit the ground running in FP1, laying down a competitive lap time early and finishing the session in P6. I was just a tenth of a second away from P2, but the gap to first place was still bigger than we wanted. We made a quick change to the bike's rear to give me more support on the power, and it worked perfectly. I finished the day in FP2 in P4 overall, our closest to the top all year. This was it—the weekend we'd been working for.

Saturday morning, it was time to put our plan into action. We went out for qualifying, spent the first half warming up, then came in for a quick debrief. With just 11 minutes left, I went back out and put down an absolute heater of a lap, finishing the session in P3! It was our first front-row start of the year, and we were buzzing. We knew we had the pace, and we were confident we could fight for the win.

The race started, and I got a great jump, mixing it up with the top three. The front two pulled away, but I fought hard, battling with the group behind me all race. I pushed right to the final complex of corners, but two riders managed to get by me, and I finished in P5. It wasn't the result we were looking for after our strong qualifying performance. We put our heads together, came up with a new plan for the next day, and got ready to turn things around.

Sunday morning's warm-up was another huge confidence booster. I finished in P2, just a tenth of a second off the top spot. We knew with that kind of pace, we were in a great position for the race. But sometimes, even the best-laid plans go wrong.

The team made a last-minute gamble on the gearing, and it was a mistake. I got a great start and was right with the front group, but from there, I had nothing. I was hitting the rev limiter halfway down the straightaway and getting swallowed up by the draft. It was frustrating to watch riders pull away when I knew I had the pace. We could've had a truly extraordinary race, but it wasn't meant to be.

Despite the result, I'm grateful for the team's constant hard work. We're moving in the right direction, and it's only a matter of time before the results catch up to our speed.

What a wild ride it's been! The last four weeks have been an absolute blur of intense racing, and I'm looking forward to a much-needed break at home. It's time to rest, recharge, and enjoy some time with my family and friends.

Don't worry, I'll be keeping you all updated on my training and what I'm up to on social media. I'll be back on the track for the next round of the British Talent Cup in three weeks. Until then, stay tuned and thanks for following along!