Young rider Ethan Sparks has been given the opportunity to race in Spain this weekend after enjoying further success on home shores.

He competes as a wildcard with a Spanish Moto4 team at Jerez, with a view to racing in the Junior European Championship for the next two years.

Sparks, 11, a pupil at Oakwood Park Grammar School in Maidstone, became the first rider in the history of the Fab-Racing British Minibike Championship to retain the GP70 title.

He dominated the series, winning 16 races, to finish more than 100 points clear of his nearest rival.

In doing so, he took his overall tally of British titles to four.

With the minimum age for the British Talent Cup raised to 14, Sparks, who’s part of the Michael Laverty Vision Track Academy, has explored other options to progress his fledgling career.

That’s taken him to Spain, where he’ll be racing at speeds of up to 120mph.

“He’s doing this with the hope of riding in it full-time next year,” said dad Gavin.

“Most of the tracks are in Spain and Portugal, where the weather is better, and they’re full-sized grand prix circuits.

"It’s a European championship but people come from all over the world to compete, America, Australia, all kinds of countries.

“In Spain, motorcycle racing is a bit more advanced than the rest of the world, which is why everyone seems to go there.

"Hopefully he’ll progress to either the British Talent Cup when he’s 14, or the European Talent Cup, which is the stepping stone to becoming a professional.

“If you do well in that, they start looking to get you into world championships and beyond.

“He’s the only rider to win the GP70 class two years in a row, and that in itself is a massive achievement.

“That makes him a four-time British champion, so he’s on a good platform, and he’s more than ready to take the next step, which is what he’s going to experience this weekend.

“He’ll be in front of a big crowd as well, because they ride with the Spanish Superbike Championship, so it’s a big event.”

Sparks has thanked Chas Mortimer, who looks after riders in the Laverty Academy, along with sponsors Maidstone Motorliner, Wadhams Fitness and Danny Webb’s GP Camp.