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downsmail.co.uk Ethan’s racing to the top


SPARKS fly upwards. And that’s the direction nine-year-old Ethan Sparks, from Loose, is heading in a quest to become the next Barry Sheene of world championship motorcycle racing.


Sheene, twice 500cc world


champion, would approve of the reticent, almost shy, youngster who swerved a soccer develop- ment programme with Maidstone United’s junior team, because, he said, “I just want to ride my bike.” In a Covid-19 stricken 2020 sea- son that has been squeezed into just four short months, Ethan has raced to a championship lead in both the Mini Cool FAB series, and the Mini GP50 series. Ethan’s dad Gavin said: “He’s won the Mini Motos, which he’s raced in since he was six, but this season, the step-up to Mini GP50 means he’s riding a full-blown race bike with six gears. He’s competing against kids up to four years older than he is. And beat- ing them.”


A regular pupil at the Scott Redding Racing Academy in Swindon, Ethan has absorbed all he has learned from the former Grand Prix and MotoGP rider and developed an acute racing brain.


Mum, Laura said: “He goes into a ‘zone’. I want to kiss him good luck and he just waves me away.


Come along for a ramble


A LOCAL group of ramblers is looking for new members. Tonbridge & Malling Ramblers are one of 13 walking groups in Kent and part of the national ram- blers’ walking charity. New recruits are welcome to join for a trial before committing any further.


Spokesman Nicola Brown said: “Mostly, we go out on Sunday mornings, with additional mid- week rambles each month. Our walks are usually circular and about 5-6 miles in duration. “We offer occasional shorter


walks too. New members are wel- come, as are those wishing to try us out before joining Tonbridge & Malling Ramblers.” Covid-19 safety guidelines mean the group now requires walkers to book walks in advance. The group is also unable to publish its usual four-month programme of events at present.


For more information, email info@tonbridgeandmallingram- blers.co.uk.


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a red mist when things went awry in a race, often resulting in a ‘shunt’ of his own making. Learn- ing to keep calm and think, before reacting, has paid dividends. Laura added: “Off the track he’s just another nine-year-old. They all are. Like any mum, I get ap- prehensive, but when that race starts, I’m as excited as anyone.” While support from J&S Acces- sories in Maidstone helps to keep the bike on track, the slight figure of this nine-year-old sportsman is kept up to the mark by personal trainer, Harrison Wadham. With the GP50 bike far outweighing its rider, physical as well as mental fitness is vital.


Heading into the final few


The moment that helmet goes on he’s just so focused.”


A slightly embarrassed Ethan added: “I get a bit nervous, but at the start that disappears. You


have to be switched on and keep the revs up.”


By his own admission, Ethan has learned the hard way. Com- petitive by nature, he used to see


weeks of the season, Ethan is favourite to land the Mini Motos series and a serious contender for the GP50 championship. Next stop is the Rowrah circuit in Cumbria. It is Ethan’s favourite track because it is “big and fast”. As he poses with his bikes at home in Maidstone, the lad from Loose Primary School gives an impish grin and says: “I just want to be a MotoGP rider.”


Fight at pub


A MAN was knocked uncon- scious during a pub fight in Loose.


Police were called to Old Loose Hill at about 8.20pm on Saturday, August 29. The victim was taken to hospi-


tal whre he was treated for head injuries. The suspect, a man in his 20s,


Putting litter in picture Food appeal


NEW signs have been installed in Boughton Monchelsea to discourage louts from dumping litter on the verges. The parish council and a litter-picking team have teamed up with the


borough council to erect 20 signs reminding the public to “see the bigger picture”. Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Marion Ring added: “It is such a shame that


people just don’t think about the mess they make when they drop litter. We live in such a beautiful part of the country, with Kent being the Garden of England. I am really pleased to see Boughton Monchelsea leading the way with this campaign.” Resident Dr Caroline Jessel said: “Too many passers-by throw litter from


their cars into the grass verges, hedges or just at the side of the roads and pavements, which has become a scourge for our village.”


was arrested in connection with the incident in the early hours of Sunday, August 30. He has been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.


A FOOD bank donation box has been located in Sainsbury’s Local supermarket in Headcorn. It is organised by the Rotary Club of the Weald of Kent. The donations will be sent to the Maidstone Food Bank.


Rotary spokesman Michael Lawrence said: “Coronavirus has taken a massive toll on people’s lives, but it is also creating eco- nomic hardships."


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