A 16-year-old is heading over to Europe to take part in the British Talent Cup as a wildcard entry. Tyler King from Ngāpuhi has risen through the ranks of the National Moto Grand Prix, and is now heading to one of the best-known race tracks, Silverstone in England.
Although this is going to be an expensive trip, the King whānau is seeking those who are willing to support Tyler in becoming one of the first Māori to compete at an international level in MotoGP.
King’s need for speed has been in his blood for his whole life. His father Shawn King was a leading motorcross, truck and powerboat racer but Tyler King says his love for road racing began after making the transition from motorcross.
He says, “Once my knee hit the ground it was just a completely different feeling. It's just a rush of adrenaline, and it just makes me happy, and makes it fun.”
Over his short career so far King has established a reputation for himself as a quality racer on the track, winning all six races so far in the championship this season, with another three more to go. Shawn King says this drive and passion for riding bikes dates back to Tyler being only a child.
“By the time he could walk, he had bikes. I couldn't help it I had to carry it on through him and now he's better on the bike than I ever was,” Shawn King says.
Tyler is on his journey to be the king of two wheels.
Big ambitions
King has landed a place in the British Talent Cup, and the price of heading over will be tens of thousands of dollars. However, his family is committed to overcoming any obstacles in the way of any opportunity for him to succeed.
Shawn King says, “It's like a dream come true for me, seeing him do what he loves and with potential of making a living out of it, a career. I just want him to go there and do us all proud.”
The test for Tyler is to prove his talent on the world stage, representing Māori the world over. But for the young man, his sights are set further along the horizon.
“My dream goal to come out of the overall experience in racing is to hopefully get into MotoGP or World superbikes, and get into the big leagues in racing and make a few bucks out of it too, he says.
King has six weeks before his departure to Europe, and the whānau have reached out to their iwi for support to send this young man to compete on the world stage and inspire other rangatahi māori into the sport.