ONE TO WATCH - LEON MORRIS

By BSB Reporter Tammy Milsom

Finding the next big thing in motorcycle racing is an endless and usually fruitless task. Many schemes to find the "next Barry Sheene" have come and gone and talent usually just shows up anyway.

However, the latest scheme could well be the answer to it all - the 'Airwaves® Superbike Scholarship' which starts this year.

The scheme was solely thought of by Airwaves themselves and Toby Baker, Wrigley Marketing Director said: 'The ‘Airwaves Superbike Scholarship’ sees the brand supporting an up and coming young rider whilst extending our support and commitment from the elite championship to the grassroots of the sport.' The deserved rider is Leon Morris, a 21 year old from Stockbridge.

For Leon Morris to have reached this level in such a short space of time is remarkable. It was only two years ago that he was racing at club level, 2007 he competed within the Virgin R6 championship and now his talent has put him on track with the big boys. Originally Leon was due to race within the Superstock, but has now moved up to the Superbike Cup to race for the team Trimite Brookspeed on the Ducati 1098R, replacing Australian rider Brendan Clarke.

There is nothing like being thrown in at the deep end, this change in career direction has only occurred since Brands Hatch where he was on track as a Superstock rider. Leon admits that the cancellation of the race a couple of weekends ago has helped them. With Thruxton now being the opening race of the season he is not at a disadvantage of being a race behind.

Through this scholarship Leon will be given one-to-one guidance from Colin Wright Airwaves Ducati Team, he commented: “It’s a pleasure to assist Leon on his personal development and we’ll be working hard to give him the tools and techniques to advance his racing career. We’ll be covering a wide variety of subjects such as improving his knowledge of the BSB circuits and also the technical aspects of racing.”

When asked about his debut weekend on the Ducati Leon said 'It has been a cracking experience and I have enjoyed every minute of it, but there are a lot of nerves. It's the big time, it's the best of the best. Getting the likes of Shakey come blasting by you is pretty weird in some respects, it's quite surreal. I'm in the pits and they are getting on similar bikes to me, I started to  think I shouldn't be in this grid, but no it's really good.'

He continued: 'Racing was a natural progression for me, my dad and his brother both raced bikes so I knew I wanted to race bikes. It was always my aim to reach this level, but if I'm honest maybe not this quick. I have a lot to learn and this bike is so different. But this is a cracker of an opportunity and not one to turn down.'

With such a fast track to the top I asked his opinion on whether the R6 cup was a stepping stone for learning and gaining experience that could be used for this championship, he said 'The R6 cup was good for getting me into the paddock as such, but it's so different to any other championship. We didn't have wets, we couldn't alter anything on the bike it was literally a road bike that everybody just had to get on and deal with. Suddenly I am on a Superbike you know and you've got all the choice of tyres."

The restriction Leon is slightly frustrated about is the limitations on tyres within the Daily Star cup, particular with the weather condition this weekend being not dry and not wet it did cause him a few problems. He explains 'We are allowed slicks and wets, no intermediates. A few were running a wet front and intermediate rear , but we also haven't got the amount of wheels like the other guys. We went out with four minutes to go on another set of wets that were freezing cold. It's just really difficult at the minute but we claimed 26th, my best yet, the team and everyone is pleased so I can't be too disappointed.'

The belief in Leon's skills speaks for itself with the opportunity he has been given. He appreciates the job ahead, he has to gain an understanding of one of the top racing machines, his team are also new to the motorbike racing environment, but all are working really hard and determined to succeed. Now also with the support from Airwaves Ducati, which has already benefited Leon immensely this weekend it is looking highly likely that Morris is a name you will see creeping up the timing sheets.