Aeziah Divine is grateful for the opportunity to race at the iconic Silverstone where he got to rub shoulders with the world’s best MotoGP riders.

The 14-year-old Bermudian was one of the youth riders to share the paddock with past and present MotoGP stars at Silverstone at the beginning of the month. He has since raced at Thruxton Circuit as part of the R&G British Talent Cup, where he is part of an entry list of 29.

“The biggest takeaway I had from racing at Silverstone was that I need to have a great start and push hard from the very beginning of the race,” Divine said.

“Similar to how Superpole is done, where you go out and put in a fast lap right away, and then continue to maintain that pace throughout the race.

“Another thing was that I need to be open to learn as much as I can from other riders. This has really helped me in the round the following weekend at Thruxton Circuit, staying in the group with faster riders and having close battles.

“Being at Silverstone and in the grand-prix paddock alongside the best in the sport inspired me to want to take more risks. It gave me the courage to push harder, as it showed what level I could be at in the near future if I worked hard enough.

“It was a lot of fun. The crowds didn’t put me off much as it does for some riders; nerves can be a concern for those new to the whole experience.

“I enjoyed myself, especially because I felt that I started to have a turning point in understanding my bike more. As a result, I was able to make more progress in the races.”

The youngster has competed in seven rounds of racing, with two more remaining before he wraps up his season, which started with a thrilling opener in Navarra, Spain.

The last weekend of racing takes the budding motorcycle racer to Donington Park Circuit on September 27 to 29.

While racing at Silverstone was memorable for Divine, picking up points at Thruxton was something to cherish.

"My highlight this season was my performance at Thruxton last round,’’ he said.

“I felt that I got up speed early in the weekend and was able to stay with groups ahead of me that I was unable to catch earlier in the season.

“Even though Silverstone was such an amazing experience that I was looking forward to all year, I was really happy with the step forward that I took at Thruxton — achieving one of my main goals this season, which was to be battling for points, was huge.”