RACE TEAM: Rider Profiles 2015/2016
Table of Contents Overview: 2016 1. Rider Profiles Ross Simpson 2. Conor Wheeler 3. Cameron Tenzing-Jenkins 4. Louis Dawson 5. Team Background 6. JDF Champions 7.
Overview: 2016 In 2016, JDF-Racing will once again compete in the Aprilia RRV450GP Championship at ThundersportGB. The rider line up will be as for 2015; Ross Simpson, Conor Wheeler and Cameron Tenzing-Jenkins. In 2015 JDF supported Ducati Wolverhampton rider Louis Dawson in the Ducati 899 Trioptons Cup at BSB. Managed by Ducati UK the series is going from strength to strength and is now the Premier single make race series in the UK and Europe. The relationship with Ducati Wolverhampton is carried forward to 2016. JDF will also be assisting James Folkard once again on a mentoring basis; as the team was founded on this exceptional talent we are pleased to once again be working with the lad from Liverpool! For 2016 JDF may possibly field a rider in the ThundersportGB 600 Stock Elite Championship on its Kawasaki 600 ZXR. Discussions are ongoing. The Rider Development programme continues to grow. Dawson Folkard Wheeler Simpson Tenzing-Jenkins
Ross Simpson In 2015 Ross competed in his second full season in the Aprilia RRV450GP Championship finishing in 7th position overall. Despite a few technical issues with the bike, Ross made progress but his results did not show his true pace. John Davies Wins were always around the corner for Ross but it just didn t happen. He will however be one of the favourites for the title in 2016. For 2016 he will again compete in the Aprilia Challenge for JDF, the aim, a top three finish in the Championship. In 2012 and 2013 Ross was one of the top young riders in the junior Aprilia Superteen series achieving numerous podiums and wins. He finished in 3 rd place in the series in 2013. Date of Birth: 06 December 1999 Hometown: Chessington (London)
Conor Wheeler In 2015 Conor had his best season in the Aprilia RRV450GP Championship with 10 th place overall. Competing in the series since 2012, Conor has been with JDF since 2014. Conor s Father Gavin We approached John in 2013 for guidance and mentoring. We were aware of course of John s success with helping young riders particularly when progress had stalled; we also had issues with the bike. A combination of this being resolved and John s mentoring has moved Conor forward. We are looking forward to 2016 with JDF. Similar to Ross Simpson, Conor has moved up to the 450 machine from the Aprilia Superteen Challenge and Mini- Moto racing. In 2015 he surprised a lot of people by pushing toward the leading pack of riders. In 2016 Conor Wheeler will cause a few upsets by achieving podium results. Date of Birth: 10 April 1996 Hometown: Hatfield (London)
Cameron Tenzing-Jenkins 17 year old Scotland based rider Cameron Tenzing-Jenkins stepped up to the Aprilia RRV450 GP Championship in 2015 with JDF-Racing. Cameron had campaigned in the Aprilia Superteen Challenge in 2013/14 and like a lot of youngsters in this class over the past five years, looked to the RRV Championship as a natural progression towards riding more powerful machines. Approached for support by Cameron s father John at the end of the 2014 season, a test was arranged at Cadwell Park in late October of 2014. Cameron took to the bigger bike with ease. Date of Birth: 08 February 1998 Hometown: Callander (Scotland) John Jenkins We had done as much as we could on the Superteen bike and as Cameron was growing taller and had turned sixteen, we had a close look at the 450 championship which has been introduced as a natural stepping stone from the smaller 125 machines. We know JDF is at the forefront of this Championship having won the title twice within three years with Cal Cooper in 2012 and Ben Luxton in 2014. It was worth a discussion with John to see if he would take Cameron under his wing which he agreed to do. Like a lot of riders, converting from the smaller two stroke to riding the larger four stroke RRV was surprisingly easy, racing it however was another matter. By the end of the season Cameron was getting to grips with the 450 and should figure in the leading group of riders in 2016.
Louis Dawson Louis Dawson Louis Dawson has competed in the 899 TriOptions Cup since mid-way through the 2014 season. In 2015 he has competed in all but one of the rounds and has continued to progress and is now firmly established as one of the top ten riders in the series; he is also the youngest. No stranger to competing in one make series, 20 year old Louis Dawson has cut his teeth in the junior classes of the Aprilia Superteen series, and on the larger capacity Aprilia RRV450GP one make series. Achieving many podiums over his racing career he is being tipped as a serious title contender in the 2016 TriOptions Cup.
JDF: Team Formation The team was set up in 2006 primarily to help a young rider from Liverpool. JDF are the letters of John Davies and James Folkard and the genesis of the partnership they forged is an interesting story. Life sometimes deals you a tough hand but in 2003, James Folkard had all the right cards. His racing career started completely by chance. With an interest in motorcycles and subsequently competition, James was invited to a tryout for an 80cc Race Team created by David Smith of a youth organisation based in Liverpool "Local Young Bike Riders Organisation" or Lybro for short! James in 2015 The brief of the organisation was simple; create a diversionary project to reduce the issue of young riders riding illegally on the roads and fields by channelling youngsters into machine preparation...... or as a Racer! As a result of a chance meeting with David Smith of Lybro in mid 2003, a tryout for a team ride was organised and managed by former rider John Davies. Within a couple of sessions on the little 80 cc bike, it was clear that eleven year old Folkard had a talent he never knew he had. That talent however was recognised by John Davies I could not believe what I witnessed and it excited me greatly. The kid was a natural. Eight months later I took James to the Oulton Park round of the Aprilia Championship. The series had been running at that time for six years and was set up as a platform to allow young talent in the UK to race in a prestigious and meaningful Championship. I introduced James to Ian Newton the promoter of the Aprilia Superteen series. Four months later after seeing James compete on his 125 Aprilia in the series Newton said Two riders have stood out in this series, one was Casey Stoner, 2000 Superteen Champion; the other is James Folkard. James had only raced the bike twice at that point. Three years later James had achieved what Stoner had by becoming the 2007 Aprilia Superteen Challenge Champion; the rider who finished runner up to James in 2007 is our new Moto 3 Champion Danny Kent. After James, the JDF-Racing project carried on assisting a number of young riders to find their feet in the sport.
JDF Champions 2014 Ben Luxton: Aprilia RRV450GP Champion. Working with JDF since 2012, in 2015 Ben competed in the British Superstock 600. For 2016 he will again compete in the Stock 600 series. Ben holds the 450 lap record on the Donington GP track at 1:40.31 set in 2014. Ben Luxton in 2014 2012 Callan Cooper: Aprilia RRV450GP Champion. In additon to the RRVGP Title, Callan also won the Overall Supertwins, and Mini-Twins Titles in 2012; his lap record at Cadwell Park of 1:36.2 is still the fastest 450 machine around the Cadwell track. Manxman Callan went on to compete at BSB in the Superstock 600 Cup on a JDF prepared ZX6R Kawasaki achieving top six placings. Cal Cooper in 2012 2010 Chrissy Rouse: Aprilia Superteen Challenge Champion. Chrissy went on to compete in the 2011 BSB 125 Championship. In 2012, he moved to the Triumph Triple Challenge, in 2013 he won the title. In 2015 he competed in the Junior Stock 600 at BSB finishing in 8 th place overall. He holds the lap record of Stock 600 machines at the Cadwell Park track. Chrissy Rouse in 2010
2009 Fraser Rogers: ThundersportGB 125 GP3 Stock & Kitted Champion. In 2009 Fraser also competed in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies series. He competed in selected rounds of the World Supersport 600 Championship and Stock 600 at BSB. Fraser also won the 2008 Aprilia Superteen Championship title. Fraser Rogers in 2009 2007 James Folkard: Aprilia Superteen Challenge Champion. In 2008, James competed in the 125 Championship at BSB. After a sabatical, he returned to racing in 2010 competing in the inaugural Aprilia RRV450 GP, winning it in 2011. In 2012 he was runner up in the Ducati 848 Challenge. In 2013 he competed in selected rounds of the Spanish CEV Moto 2 series. James Folkard in 2007 In 2015 James won the Thundersport GB Mini-Twins Championship and also rode the new Aprilia RSV1000 For Aprilia UK. For 2016, he will compete in BSB Stock 1000 Championship.