What a year it’s been for young Maidstone rider Ethan Sparks after success in two overseas series.

Sparks, who recently turned 13, made his debut in Moto4, which is part of the Spanish Superbike Championship - racing at speeds of 120mph.

The Oakwood Park pupil exceeded all expectations by winning a round at Valencia, despite starting from the back of the grid, and finishing third at Aragon and Estoril in Portugal.

In doing so, he became the first British junior to win a Moto4 race.

Add in the fact he was competing independently - the costs of joining a team were too great - and it’s some achievement.

“It’s a massive step up because you’re racing against probably the best in the world on those types of bikes, and on the full grand prix circuits,” said Sparks’ dad, Gavin.

“We couldn’t afford to go with a team, so we tried to do it ourselves, and we couldn’t believe how well it went.

“He’s the first British rider to ever win in the Moto4 class which, bearing in mind all the big teams and riders you’re up against, it was a massive achievement and a fantastic learning curve.

“We never thought he would end up with a couple of podiums and a win, and he actually led every race at some point.

“We did five rounds out of seven. At one point he was closing in on the championship leaders but we knew he couldn’t go for the championship because we were going to miss two rounds.”

Sparks had a very good reason for missing a couple of rounds.

He had other commitments in the form of the Ohvale 160 Championship in Austria.

Sparks won the five-round series, to qualify for the national finals, where he finished an excellent fourth.

“He did really well,” said Gavin. “He ended up fourth in the world, which is phenomenal because was the only rookie. All the other lads had been in it the previous year.”

Sparks is looking forward to a big 2024.

He’s stepping up to the pre-Moto3 class in the Spanish Superbike Championship, swapping his Honda CRF150 engine for a Yamaha 250cc engine packing almost twice as much power on the same Beon chassis.

He’ll also be moving up to Ohvale 190 Championship as he continues to make a name for himself.

It’s hoped his progression will lead to a place in the British Talent Cup or European Talent Cup when he turns 14.

Any companies interested in sponsoring Sparks should email gavinsparks1976@hotmail.co.uk