William Shaw bounces back for double success

But rather than give up he returned to the East Midlands Racing Association (EMRA) championship more determined than ever and claimed his titles at the second time of asking.

The Telford rider now has his sights on moving up to the more competitive Thundersport series after securing the EMRA superstock and Buildbase 600 titles.

Shaw, 30, who works as a vehicle body repairer at Autocraft Telford, and is engaged to Kelly Randall, said: "Last season was going great and I was in contention for winning two championships, the superstock and the rookies, until the last round in October when I was involved in an incident with my superstock championship rival.

"He hit me from behind and took us both out, which resulted in him winning the title and I was runner-up.

"The rookies championship was a battle between me and my twin brother, Matt, which he won while I ended up fourth overall because of the mechanical issues caused by the same crash.

"Although I didn't win any of the championships, it was still a successful season as I improved my lap times and got the best out of the bike.

"But the main success was the improvement to myself."

After being disappointed with how the 2015 season had ended, Shaw swapped his Suzuki GSXR 600 for Kawasaki ZX6R in the hope of entering the Thundersport GB Championship.

But after realising the costs would be "too considerable" without sponsorship, he decided to re-enter the EMRA championship in the superstock and Buildbase 600 classes.

He started the opening race around the Mallory Park circuit, where all EMRA races are held, by setting a personal best lap time in the Buildbase qualifying and from then on consistently improved as the year progressed.

"My best lap time was in round six when I achieved 53.8 second lap in the superstock, which was a great race between the leading three riders. I finished second in that one.

"At that point I had already won the superstock championship and I also had a considerable lead in the Buildbase championship with one round to go.

"The last round in October was the prestigious Race of the Year, which started in 1958 and attracts some of the biggest names from the British and national championships.

"I jumped at the chance to take part and enjoyed the experience, finishing second in both Buildbase races to take the championship."

Shaw, who has been helped all season by his brother and father, Stuart, said the year had involved a lot of trial and error but he was now hoping businesses would step forward to sponsor his stint at the Thundersport GB Championship next year.

"The last two years have been amazing and I wouldn't have achieved so much without the support and dedication from my dad and brother," he added.

"Matt didn't race this year due to becoming a dad in January and he's unsure of his plans for next year.

"But they have both been with me every step of the way.

"I also have a great network of support from my family and friends who have come to every round come rain or shine.

"I would like to thank Kenny Hayward of Kenny Hayward Racing who has also supported me and given me some great advice.

"I also have to say EMRA is a fantastic club and is very professionally run and organised.

"Thundersport travels to various tracks around the country and the costs are considerably higher as races are over three days whereas EMRA was Sundays only, which is why I need sponsorship."

Any businesses interested in sponsoring Shaw are asked to email k5mrbump600@gmail.com