3/5/2008 10:32:00 AM World champ says Wilson could be very special
* Photo by Michael Troutman/Red Bull Rookies Cup
Words of wisdom: Toriano Wilson, left, is gleaning knowledge from former world champ Kevin Schwantz at the Red Bull Rookies Cup event held last week in Monterey, California.
Former world motorcycling champion Kevin Schwantz believes Bermuda's teenage prodigy Toriano Wilson could be an international star in the making.
Schwantz, who worked with all the riders at the first Red Bull Rookies Cup event last week, said he had been impressed with the 'raw talent' on display.
And he is convinced the new tour - which pits 24 of the top young racers in the Americas region against each other in an nine race series - will produce the next generation of Moto GP riders.
He said: "Red Bull and their associated sponsors have created such an opportunity for these kids. It's so hard to find talent in this sport but this programme is giving them that chance.
"The faces, the smiles, the reactions when they walked in there for the first time and saw their bikes with their names on them, their number, their leathers right there. It was like wow, this is what it's like to be a factory rider.
"From what I saw this is going to be a great talent pool. I've been a Suzuki guy my whole life and Suzuki and all the other sponsors at my school think this is important enough that they want me to be involved."
He said finance was a problem for all young riders and sponsorship played a crucial part in helping them compete.
This is such an opportunity for them. I wish I'd had the chance to compete in something like this when I was a kid.
""I really hope all of these kids and their parents can find a way to get some sponsorship and get enough dollars to make it to the races.
"Red Bull has left them some space on their bikes and their helmets to get their own sponsors which actually teaches them that business sense they are going to need.
"If there is a company that wants to help him out this is going to be a programme that is going to get international exposure. It might not get them big exposure right now but man, Toriano Wilson was the fastest one out there.
"If he does really well at the Rookies Cup some sponsorship programme that started at the real small level to help with expenses could explode."
Posted: Saturday, March 08, 2008
Comment by:
Ty Sampson
I really hope that the country of Bermuda sticks behind this young star as he would put Bermuda's name on the map in a big way. He desperately needs sponsorship to keep going, spread some of that sailing and cricket money to this guy. Come on Big Companies Key Tech, Cable Vision, Ace, Xl, Bank of BDA, Bank of Butterfield a little goes a long way.
