James is riding high in quad Bike racing!
As you read this James Bevan will be on his way to Germany as part of the United Kingdom pro team which will be competing in quad-bike racing against the cream of Europe's best in the Quad Des Nations - no mean feat because James, who hails from Haverfordwest, is only 16 years old!
James was drafted in to the UK team because No 1 George Calloway had to drop out after an on-track accident which left him with four broken ribs, shoulder blade, elbow and bruised lung - part of the risk of competing in a high speed sport where those taking part have to negotiate a track which has huge earthen ramps that necessitate going airborne for a short while, with other contestants also 'flying' alongside!
Big week ahead for James
It demands a nerve of steel, great judgement and no little courage, but James has these in abundance, alo
ngside a maturity that is way beyond his years. He joins Luke Cooper (21) from Pontypridd and Bailey Edwards (16) from London which will take on the likes of Netherlands, Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany (two teams as host), Russia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal and Italy as proof of the high standard involved.
James and Co will travel today (Wednesday), have practice on Friday, plus one race on Saturday and two on Sunday, with individual and team trophies awarded over the three races. It is sure to be eye-catching for the large crowds who flock to it in Germany and although James admits to being a little nervous he is really looking forward to the challenge of jumps that can be 90 feet long and take competitors 30 feet into the air!!
Accidental start – and terrific support
Ask James about starting out in quad-biking and he can recall the actual time he set out, almost by accident.
"My father Jeff brought home a second-hand quad bike when I was only five years old and said I could drive it around the garden for fun.
"I took to it straight away and he and my mum Sarah have been hugely supportive ever since because the travelling is immense as I compete as far afield as Scotland, Northern Ireland, Kent, Swindon and all over Wales.
"They not only drive me to competitions but nothing is too much trouble for them and we have great fun over the weekends away - and my brother William and sisters Gemma and Nikki are great, as are my grandparents, plus Janet and Graham Bevan, my aunt and uncle.
"I am also lucky that John Rees (Crundale) helps look after my quad bikes and has done since I first started, he loves to come to most race meetings. Ed Davies (Cardigan) also helps look after my quads he is the current ACU masters champion, his son Dafydd races against me too.
"Ed and Dafydd are travelling to Germany to help out with the mechanical side of the team, whilst the quad bikes are being taken over by Bailey Edwards' dad Mick, and
my dad is being ferried across by Charlie and Anita Smart (Welshpool), whose daughter also rides a quad bike."
Successful start but motor bike injuries follow
His quad biking took off when the family learned that there was a race meeting at Clunderwen and took him along with his standard quad bike - and he won his very first race.
"I was really hooked after that and I've been at it ever since, apart from over a year out with injury - ironically sustained in motor cycle racing.
"I had been nagging dad to let me have a motor bike to race with and I went up to Talsarn, near Aberystwyth, where the course was situated in a valley and had huge jumps.
"Perhaps I tried to travel too fast, too soon, because I made a duff landing, dislocated my shoulder and was knocked out - and I only came to when I was on my way to Aberystwyth Hospital!
"I was out for six months and decided I would restart at the same venue but again made the same sort of mistake and severed a nerve in my shoulder - and by the time I got home the motor bike had vanished!
Back to quads and he hasn’t looked back since!
"But dad agreed that he would buy me a better quad bike and I had a KTM 450, which was twice as powerful as my old Blaster 200cc wasn't quite up to scratch. I've had to get used to the greater power but it's been worth it because I haven't looked back since then."
James made his debut with the new quad bike at a small grass-track meeting in Bancyfelin and then took part in a much bigger event at Meidrim where he was pleased with his third place.
"Then the following season I took part in the Welsh Championships and at 14 I was the younges
t competitor but did so well over the 12 race meetings that I was champion.
Big step up with NORA
"So last year we decided I should take another big step up and entered the NORA races in the Clubman and Rookie classes, which is equivalent to the intermediate classes at the Dredgers' Club where I was before - and which meant total commitment for my parents, as well as me, because that is when the travelling increased immensely.
Most meetings are around Oxford, Swindon and Northampton and races are much faster, and with more than double the number taking part so I have had to raise my own game a lot.
James did really well to come third last year in the 'Clubman' British Championship over the lengthy series, which was usually competed for in races over 15 minutes plus two laps.
This year with NORA he came second in the Pro-B series and fifth in the Pro-A event and was leading the former competition but broke a knuckle in a freak accident. He somehow managed to finish that race, despite the pain, but was hurting so much when he got home that he had to have his hand plastered.
"It was a real nuisance and so I travelled on a 700-mile
round trip to Ipswich to receive laser treatment from the same specialist who treated world champion motor-bike racer Carl Fogarty (Who won 'I'm a celebrity . . . ') and it proved to be a great help."
And finally . . .
As he grows in class levels James has been grateful to receive some sponsorship from Jewsons (Merlins Bridge), DKAN, Jamie Edwards (Uzmaston Projects Ltd) and Ducksmart but any further help from companies looking for a worthwhile sportsman to support might want to add their name to that list because he does fly the Pembrokeshire Flag with distinction all over the UK - and now in European competitions as proof of his progress.
James Bevan really is a modest and pleasant young man who shows total commitment and courage once he sits astride a quad bike - and we wish him every success in his future because he is a credit to himself, his family, his county and country in the rough and tumble world of quad biking!