Young talents shine in EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship
The EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship is loaded with young, and in some cases extremely young, talent. In Pro Stock Motorcycle three of the top four riders in the 2014 championship were under 30 and two were not even 20 years old! In Super Street Bike the runner-up was only 26 years old. Young talent has a fair chance in the series and they can race against the best, at the greatest events and in front of a big crowd.
Moto racing is not the cheapest sport to start with when you are young. The economic crisis in the last few years didn’t make it any easier to find sponsors and start racing. But still, young talent cannot be hold back and found, and will always find, its way into the sport. With new ideas, loyal marketing partners or help from parents they stepped up and with the economy getting a bit better now, hopefully even more will find their way into the sport. The introduction last year of the EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Championship made the step from the EDRS European Drag Racing Series or other championships to the next level much easier. The first batch of talent already showed their skills last year and hopefully they encourage many others to follow in their footsteps.
Especially in Pro Stock Motorcycle the top four in the 2014 EDRS Pro Nordic MC was extremely young. Champion Kalle Lyrén is already in the class for many years now, but still the Lyrén Motorsport rider is only 27 years old.
Runner-up Elvira Karlsson has experience too, but is only 19 years old! But youngest competitor, and number four in the championship, is 17-year-old Ellsa Karlsson. Both sisters started in Junior Drag Bike and hopefully that’s a good example for many young talents.
Another young talent in Pro Stock is 24-year-old Thomas Olsen from Norway. Thomas also started his career in Junior Drag Bike, raced ET Street and Super Comp Bike to step up to Pro Stock Motorcycle. Thomas is still learning in Pro Stock but will go for ‘maximum results’ this season.
In Super Street Bike 26-year-old Henri Kolehmainen was runner-up last year. The Finnish rider stepped up from Pro Street Bike and as he says, ‘wants to go faster this year’. If he does, there is only one place left in the championship, and that’s the number one position!
In Super Twin Vesa Lipponen is only 28 years old. The Finn is already in the class for a few years and still improving. And of course in Super Twin and Top Fuel Jan Sturla Hegre (also 28 years old) is one of the most talented riders of the new and young generation. So plenty of young riders with a bright future ahead, and young talent in the sport is good for the future of drag racing.
In the EDRS European Drag Racing Series riders can already start at a very young age in Junior Drag Bike and advance to classes like Super Gas Bike, Super Comp Bike, Super Street Bike and Funny Bike. With races at different tracks in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark young riders can gain experience and score their first results. The next step can be Super Street Bike, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Super Twin or Top Fuel in the EDRS Pro Nordic MC Series. It won’t take long until new riders will challenge today’s top three riders in the championship.
