Kefford in driver’s seat for KTM UAE Racing Team at young age

Teenager undaunted by injuries and risks of racing in desert, writes Gary Meenaghan

Nicolas Kefford, 13, is part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Rally Team who gathered at the KTM showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on September 23, 2014. Clint McLean for The National

DUBAI // Nicolas Kefford has a small frame, grand ambitions, displays a level of maturity far beyond his years and is clearly as hard as nails.

It is little wonder that motocross behemoths KTM decided to sign him up as part of their UAE Racing Team.

The 13-year-old rider from Brisbane, Australia, has been racing motorbikes since he first arrived in Dubai seven years ago and, earlier this year, won the motocross 85cc class title. Such an achievement might not be appreciated by his classmates at Dubai English Speaking College (DESC), but it is no mean feat – especially when considering Kefford suffered a broken femur a year earlier.

“Most of my classmates think what I do is a piece of cake, but it’s actually quite hard,” Kefford said. “I can’t really be bothered with them, because they say, ‘It’s so easy: You just sit down and open the throttle back and forth’. It’s a lot harder than that. It’s fitness, strength, endurance ... ”

Kefford’s photos on Instagram do not paint a picture of a typical teenager. First, there is the image of his X-rayed leg, complete with the hashtags #There #Goes #The #Season.

Then there is the photo taken four weeks later – steel rods in his leg – airborne in an Evel Knievel-style jump. Later, a snap appears of him on a treadmill going through his paces en route to attaining his license to race in Italy.

Since then, he has been balancing schoolwork with training five times a week, assisted by a four-man coaching team.

“Back home in Australia is, of course, a lot more competitive, but here the competition is good and fun,” he said. “It’s not too hard, but not too easy, so it keeps me on my toes.”

Just to clarify: Yes, those words were spoken by a 13 year old.

“Riding in the desert is unpredictable – you never know what is on the other side of the dunes – so it’s quite scary, but it’s fun at the same time,” said Kefford, who broke his wrist a few years ago and was back on the bike a week later.

“My family do worry, though, and think it is dangerous because the teaching incline is quite steep.”

Grandparents Gary and Rhonda keep up to speed with Nicolas’s progress via Facebook. While saying that they were “petrified” by the obvious dangers, their pride in their grandson’s achievements is clear.

“He has been a very good rider since he was very young and is progressing well, so hopefully that continues,” Gary Kefford said.

Eventually, Nicolas intends to race more often in Europe and the United States. For now, he is focusing on retaining his title in the 85cc class, improving in the 125cc class and making the most of a day off from school.

“DESC has been great,” he said. “They are letting me take my exams early and getting the work done for me so I can have a good education but also go around the world, too.”

Yes, again, only 13.

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