Twickenham biker Simon Low has landed a dream ride in the British 125 cc GP Championship this year and believes he is good enough to compete on the front row of the grid in his first season.

The 23-year-old, a mechanic with Surbiton Honda dealership Tippetts, has secured a significant sponsorship package from online motorcycle store shop4bikers.co.uk and will ride for the re-branded Team shop4bikers/Dutch-2-UK Racing.

It follows an encouraging trial outing for the team in two rounds of the last season’s championship at Brands Hatch and Silverstone that persuaded the Netherlands-based outfit to back the relative newcomer.

Low - who is joined in the team by Chelmsford’s Edward Rendell - dropped out of the Thundersport GB series last summer to concentrate on landing a Superbike slot this year and the former Orleans Park School student is delighted the gamble paid off.

“My aim is to finish in the points straight away and by the end of the season I want to be in the top ten. I feel like I have the bike to do it, I just need the track time,” he said.

“We could have completed the Thundersport GB series last year and may even have snuck a top three championship finish, but it was important I took the opportunity and made the most of it.

“The hard work has paid off. I’ve really just been focused on getting this deal off the ground so now I’ve got six weeks to get my race fitness up and ready.

“I know it is a fast bike, a championship winning bike. I just need to prove it.”

Low heads to Snetterton this weekend for testing before flying to Spain for more a week later as he gears up for the first of the 12 round British Eurosport-screened championship that kicks-off at Brands Hatch in April.

His Honda GP race bike is one of only four in the world to run a disc valve system that smooths the power delivery, while the team will be advised by experienced world 250cc MotoGP championship team boss Andy Hyde.

It will be Low’s third year in the saddle since taking up the sport in 2007 and the Tippetts mechanic believes the team make up gives them an edge going into the new season.

“The Dutch-2-UK team have 40 years experience in the sport. It was an achievement to be selected and I’m just pleased we are going to be able to race a full-season, “ he added.

“The disc valve system is pretty unique. There is no-one else running it and will make putting the power on out of corners smoother and safer.

“In theory we should be able to get the gas on earlier, which will make us quicker down the straights.”

British 125cc GP Championship schedule:

April

03-05 Brands Hatch Indy, 16-18 Thruxton

May

01-03 Oulton Park, 21-23 Cadwell Park

June

25-27 Mallory Park

July

02-04 Knockhill, 16-18 Snetterton

Aug

06-08 Brands Hatch GP, 28-30 Cadwell Park

Sept

10-12 Croft, 24-26 Silverstone

Oct

08-10 Oulton Park