A teenage Angus motorcycle racer is revving up for an international journey aimed at leading all the way to the top flight of MotoGP.
This weekend will see Brechin’s Ryan Watson line up on a packed grid at the Circuit de Cataluyna, north of Barcelona for the opening round of Spanish CEV Moto 3 Championship, a proving ground from which big names including Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and 2013 rookie sensation Marq Marquez have emerged.
Ryan (15) started his two-wheeled racing career with Scottish and British mini moto championship domination from the age of just eight, before taking the British crown on a bigger 80cc machine.
Since 2011 he has contested the British Superbike Championship’s GP125 category, proving from the off he has the potential to go all the way in the popular branch of motor sport.
Ryan’s 2012 performance delivered podium finishes at tracks including Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton, with large television audiences enjoying his progress towards a second successive seventh-placed BSB championship finish in a class of almost 40 riders.
This season, under the banner of Watson Work Racing, Ryan will be taking to the circuits of Spain for the hotly-contested CEV Moto 3 series, where strength and depth of the field is so impressive that the young riders have to battle it out for the right to even qualify.
And the Brechin High pupil is itching to make an instant impression when he puts his saltire-clad knee protector down through the sweeping Catalunya curves.
Ryan’s 2013 mount is a Honda NS250R Moto 3, the only one of its kind in Scotland and a quantum leap in power from his 125 bike of last year.
“I can’t wait to race on the new bike as it’s absolutely awesome,” said Ryan.
“There has been a lot of time and money spent on the bike to get it competitive and my dad and Gordon Work of Brechin have been in the garage every night doing it themselves.”
Dad Keith said: “On the big stage Ryan has shown the maturity and understanding required to compete and I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone for their hard work over the past few months to get WWR (Watson Work Racing) to this point. Without them it would never have happened.
“We’re very much looking forward to taking on the world and will be flying the flag for Scotland this season,” added Keith, who would welcome contact from any potential sponsor on 07939241152.