Joe Burns, on board his No Limits Trackdays Yamaha, will this weekend become the youngest rider in the Metzeler Superstock 600 series as the season finally gets underway at Thruxton.

The Newcastle teenager was unable line-up at what was supposed to be the opening round at Brands Hatch two weeks ago….because he was too young!

Now, after turning 16 on Tuesday, Burns will be able to contest the fiercely popular championship, which had been due to start a fortnight ago.

But sadly, even though it means he did not have to miss the opening round after all, Joe will not be able to compete in the rescheduled event at Brands next month, because grid places have already been declared.

Joe has spent the past year getting to grips with his Yamaha R6 machine, completing more than 3000 miles on No Limits Trackdays, where he caught the eye of Company Director Mark Neate who later became his main sponsor.

After winning the NEMCRC F125 title in 2005 at the tender age of 13, Joe decided to give up on the smaller race machines and concentrate on 600s, even though he knew he would be too young to race for three years.

Putting all of his efforts into trackdays, as well as contesting the odd club event on his old Aprilia just to keep his hand in, he is now ready to take on the UK championships – and he is convinced he can run at the front.

“Having to miss what should’ve been the opening round was awful because I’ve been raring to go for ages,” he said. “I was gutted at first because it meant I was having to give everyone else a 25 point headstart, but I’m from Newcastle, and let’s be honest, 25 points is nothing to a Geordie!

“I really feel I can go well in this championship. Before it was even announced, I knew I would be racing in the UK championships on a 600 in some form or other, so when I heard about the Junior Superstock, I knew it was going to be perfect for me.

“I’m still a bit disappointed that I won’t be able to take part in the rescheduled race, I’m pretty sure it’ll drive me mad that day, knowing I’ve already been out and raced, but like I say, it’s only one round and I’ll just have to work twice as hard to make up for it this weekend.”

Joe – the younger brother of former WCM MotoGP turned BSB rider Chris – is certainly no stranger to motorcycle racing, or the British paddock.

In 2006, he entered the Croft round of the British 125cc series as a wildcard, and had been running in the top ten until mechanical problems struck.