Dayton has a head for heights on the motocross circuit
Dayton has a head for heights on the motocross circuit
When Dayton Thompson in Year 10 isn’t studying for his GCSEs, he is storming his way around the racetrack and standing on podiums as one of the brightest young prospects in the thrilling sport of motocross.
Dayton first experienced motocross watching his dad race and was instantly hooked from the age of 3 when he got his very own electric quad bike. From 8 years of age, he started competing on a 50cc KTM motorbike in mini bike championships and since then Dayton has never turned back. His natural talent and intense desire to be the best is seeing him now compete on 125cc/250cc bikes in the MXY2 Youth category where he is currently the youngest in his group with most other racers aged 16 to 19 years.
To get to the top of the profession does not come easily and Dayton fits his GCSE studies around a strict training schedule where he is a member of the Peterborough Junior Moto X Club (PJMC) based in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. His club requires him to train after-school on Wednesdays, the morning and afternoon on Saturdays and then there are competitions on Sundays where he could be anywhere in the UK.
During the school holidays, Dayton has embarked on additional training overseas to get used to different racing conditions, which has taken him to Belgium during October half term and he plans to go to Spain during February half term.
On top of the training and races, Dayton swims regularly and goes to the gym as you have to be physically fit with up to four rounds of races per competition and where the tracks are gruelling with sand, clay, mud and water surfaces. You have to mentally alert with lightening quick reactions to fly out of the gates and especially as races can be dangerous when reaching speeds up to 80mph and taking on flying jumps. It also helps to have an incredible memory by remembering all the elements of different tracks to have an advantage over other racers.
With these demanding terrains, keeping your bike and equipment in tip-top condition is important, so there is no time to relax after a race or training as the bikes and equipment need to be cleaned down. This has required Dayton to have a keen interest in engineering as he has learnt how to regularly service his bike, such as maintaining the suspension, changing oil and replacing air filters. Understanding every part of the bike is one of the critical skills of being a successful motocross racer as the performance of the bike will undoubtably improve your performance on the track.
He recognises that his parents have played a huge role in his development in the sport, which he is extremely grateful for as there is investment in bikes (with a practice bike and a race bike) and all of the safety equipment (helmets, knee braces, goggles and clothing) plus the commitment to travel to training and races. Dayton has started to get some help from kit brands and motocross shops, but as he rises up the ranks, he hopes that sponsorship opportunities will come his way.
The step up to racing on more powerful bikes has not phased Dayton as earlier this year he won his very first race on a GasGas 250 bike at the Peterborough Junior Moto X Club and is now regularly competing against other clubs at this level.
In May, Dayton competed in the Bridgestone British Masters 2023, which features the best young racers from across the UK and he finished 16th out of 38 competitors in the MXY2 class. This was an incredible achievement as Dayton was only 13 years of age at the time and he competed against racers who were all much older than him. Since then he has been climbing up the leader board and recently finished 4th out of 40 competitors with an outstanding result at the Kensworth Club Championship 2023, and he has also won club competitions since this championship.
Dayton’s efforts and rapid progress at club level has not gone unnoticed, where he was awarded trophies for achieving Youth Open Champion at the PJMC Presentation Ceremony last week.
In the future, Dayton has set the goal of making motocross his full-time career by turning professional with the aim of representing Team GB at the Motocross of Nations and competing in the World Motocross Championships.
If anyone else wants to get into motocross, Dayton said it is not too late to start and advises boys or girls of any age should first approach their local club and start on smaller bikes and then progress as their confidence and skills grow.
It is truly inspiring to see our students pursue their interests outside of the classroom and Dayton fully embodies the school ethos of ‘Aspire, Challenge, Achieve’.
