Turning down a football opportunity with Wolverhampton Wanderers in order to pursue a passion for motocross appears to have been the right decision for 10 year old Morgan Evans, as he was approached with a high-profile sponsorship deal from Bridgestone for 2015!
Young Morganm, from Himley in the West Midlands, has been riding since the age of 7 and the world’s largest tyre manufacturer has been following his progress over the last 12 months, as he won three championships with his local Warley Wasps club.
Bridgestone will be supplying the young rider with their premium range of Battle Cross tyres, along with some eye-catching clothing .
Dad John said: “Bridgestone approached us over Christmas and it was an unbelievable feeling to receive the phone call.
“They said they had been really impressed by Morgan in 2014 and wanted to sponsor him this year to underline their commitment to young talent in the sport.
“It means so much to get the backing of a brand like Bridgestone and we really can’t thank them enough for their support.”
John said that Morgan’s decision to walk away from football was a surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless.
“He was always into his football and was a very good little player. But after he trained at the academy with a motocross induced injury from a day or two before, he was given a choice.
It was the Wolves or motocross as Morgan wouldn’t be allowed to put himself at risk by riding at the same time.
He chose his motocross and he is enjoying himself immensely, so it seems to have turned out well for him!”
Morgan’s recent achievements are even more remarkable considering he missed the whole of 2013 with a badly broken arm when crashing, to perhaps underline the point that his football coaches were making. Underlining the point that his football coaches were making, Morgan missed the whole of the 2013 season with a badly broken arm he picked up in a crash, which makes his achievements last year seem so amazing!
John added: “It was a really upsetting time when he picked up the injury but like the old adage, he eventually got back on the saddle after falling off and was fine.
“I actually think he is a better rider now than before the injury. He seems to have improved. I think he has learned a lot from the experience, for sure.”
Having learned to ride without a single lesson, Morgan is now looking forward to an even better 2015 with Bridgestone’s backing.
He will be back on his 65cc KTM bike for sessions with highly respected tutor Rikki Priest at his academy, while the Warley Wasps colours will be donned once more as he aims to add to the titles he won in the summer and winter of 2014.
And for the first time, Morgan will compete in Bridgestone’s BSMA Clubman’s Series, along with the coveted Arenacross Tour, which takes place at some of the UK’s most prestigious arenas over the course of the year.
Bridgestone’s training development manager Mark Fereday said: “We have seen Morgan ride at various races and we think he is a real talent.
“For such a young rider, his maturity on the bike and desire to succeed really stood out. We couldn’t be more pleased to support him and we’re really excited to work closely with him this year.”
Bridgestone’s sponsorship of Morgan completes a hat-trick of ‘grass-roots’ sponsorship, after they also agreed to sponsor similarly talented Midlands riders Jack Timms, aged 19 and Rob Yates, 17.
