All eyes on brilliant Bourne on the bike
North motor sport with ZOE BURN
THE region’s top two-wheel riders will be back out in action next weekend – and all eyes look set to be on Crook’s Franco Bourne.
The 18-year-old heads to Oulton Park leading the Pirelli National Superstock Championship after holding off the country’s top Stock riders in his debut race weekend earlier this month.
Stepping up from National Junior Superstock with the Marvel HCL Motorsport squad, Bourne instantly gelled with the bigger and far more powerful machine and ran in the top three all weekend.
He took an astonishing second place in his first ever big bike race before going one better in the second as he took victory by 0.136secs over North Yorkshire’s Dan Linfoot.
For any rider to take a second and a first at the first round of the season is an impressive feat, but for a series rookie, it’s almost unheard of.
In fact, in 20 years of covering motorcycle racing on a regional, national and international level, I have never seen any rider in any class in the world make such an effortless and dominant switch other than Marc Marquez when he moved to GP.
Moving from Junior to the main class is an enormous jump and one most riders take a few months to get used to, as they have to learn how to ride 1000cc machinery compared to the 600cc they’re used to.
Even for a former British Talent Cup champion like
Bourne, it was a huge step.
I have to put my hands up and admit I didn’t see it coming. Bourne isn’t like any of the local riders I’ve met over the past two decades in that he’s not one to make a huge fuss across social media, nor has he ever chased media attention.
After his Talent Cup win, he made a seemingly normal switch to 600cc power, yet one day, I was chatting to Chrissy Rouse, who said he’d been really impressed with his 600cc debut and tipped him to be the next big thing.
And it turns out Chrissy was right. Okay, one good weekend does not a championship make, and yes, Silverstone is a unique track, but that doesn’t detract from what he did.
Not only did he beat Linfoot – a former BSB star and multiple Superstock winner – he saw off challenges from some of the best and fastest riders in the world, all with years of experience.
Yet still, he’s kept a low profile. There’s been no big show on social media or anything like that, instead he’s just thinking about the next one.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he admitted.
“To win my first round in Stock 1000 is great, I’m really enjoying the big bikes.
“Hopefully it’ll be a Superbike next. That’s what we want.”