A young British champion motorcyclist from Ashford is to take part in the world’s hardest endurance rally.
Curtis Mealham has been given special dispensation to compete in the Red Bull Romaniacs off-road race in the Romanian countryside.
Mealham celebrates his 14th birthday on July 24 - day two of the event. Entrants must normally be 18.
He’ll be joined on the route by dad Mark, who made it to stage three on his previous appearance five years ago.
Mealham, who recently won the British Hard Enduro Youth Series, stepped up his interest in bikes after being diagnosed with ADHD and autism.
He went through a tough time before being taken out of mainstream school and found solace behind the handlebars.
It’s led him to the ultimate challenge while the youngster is now thriving at Goldwyn School in Ashford, for children with special educational needs.
“He struggled with school and bullying through his life and motorcycling helped him conquer all of that,” said Mark.
“He’s worked so hard. He’s out every night on his bike pushing himself. Once he’s on a bike, all his fears and anxieties go because it’s just him and the bike.
“We’re trying to highlight to all the other kids who are suffering that if you’ve got something you can push yourself into, you can work at it and get through it.
“He’s won the British Hard Enduro Youth Series against 16-year-olds on full-size bikes - his is a half-scale bike - and he was the youngest in his class.
“Our sport is a bit like cross-country running with a little bit of mountaineering put in.
“You’re trying to climb up unwalkable banks, you go through bogs, you name, they put it in.
“He normally races four hours at a time non-stop, and each lap is about nine miles, so there’s a lot of fitness and bravery going on because once he leaves the start line he’s on his own to overcome all the obstacles.
“With Red Bull Romaniacs, it’s the world’s hardest enduro rally and he’s been given special dispensation to ride.
“It’s five days of eight to 10 hours a day solid riding. It’s a mammoth task.”
This year’s event is set to feature 1,500 riders representing 60 countries from all over the world.
The Mealham family will spend three days driving down to Romania for the event.
Mark is acting as chaperone given Curtis’ age and the pair are determined to finish.
“They don’t make it easy, that’s why it’s classed as the hardest enduro rally in the world,” said Mark.
“I tried it five years ago and I got to stage three.
“It was 36 degrees and I collapsed with exhaustion.
“I ended up in an ambulance and woke up with a drip in my arm. We’ve been training for eight months and because I’ve done it before, I know the pitfalls.
“Last time, I tried racing to get a good position but this year we’re riding to finish it.
“That’s the main goal, to say Curt finished it.”
