Scott Redding backs young British talent

As Scott Redding prepares for his step up to the premier MotoGP class in 2014, the 20-year-old has also joined forces with Team Repli-Cast in the UK to give other British youngsters the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.

The collaboration provides a path to British Championship racing for talented young riders, as well as future graduates of Redding's Young Riders Academy, set-up by Redding in 2012 to help youngsters just starting out in the sport.

The first to benefit from the new partnership is 12-year-old Charlie Nesbitt, who will contest the 2014 Monster Energy British Motostar Championship for Team Repli-Cast, aboard a Honda Moto3 machine supplied by Redding.

Redding will also be on hand to offer Nesbitt advice and guidance throughout the season, to ensure that the youngster has the opportunity to realise his full potential during his debut British Championship season.

"The Young Riders Academy was set up to help youngsters taking their first steps in the sport and it's been very successful," explained Redding. "The partnership with Team Repli-Cast is independent of the Academy, but it means we're now in a position to help talented young riders like Charlie Nesbitt make the step up to the British Championship.

"All too often we see youngsters leave the sport because they simply don't have the funding to progress to the next level, or they get little or no advice when they do make the step up. I know exactly what that's like, because I've been there. Without the sacrifices and support of family and friends during the early stages of my career, I wouldn't now be on the verge of making my MotoGP debut.

"Charlie has the talent to succeed and now he also has the chance to showcase that talent in the British Championship. I'm happy to be able to give him this opportunity, and to put something back into the sport that has been so good to me in recent years."

Nesbitt started racing mini-motos when he was 6-years-old and by 2009 had clinched three British Championship titles. In 2010, Nesbitt quickly got to grips with a 50cc geared race bike, winning three out of eight races to finish third in the British Championship.

Nesbitt then graduated to a 70cc machine, finishing runner up in the 2010 British Championship, before going on to also finish third in the closely contested Catalan Championship in Spain the following season.

This Nesbitt finished third on his debut season in the Thundersport Aprilia Superteens series, racing against rivals with years of experience. The 12-year-old from Swindon, nicknamed the 'Pocket Rocket', also won the Nitro Newcomers Class with three races of the season remaining.

Redding, runner-up in this year's Moto2 World Championship, will ride for Gresini Honda in MotoGP next season.