Lewis signs off on Spanish adventure in style

LEWIS Mullen signed off on his Spanish adventure in style last weekend when he earned a top 10 finish at Jerez to conclude a difficult 2024 PreMoto3 campaign on a high.

The Newmills youngster was celebrating his 14th birthday during the concluding round of the ESBK series and his performance in the final race of the year certainly made the icing on his cake taste all the sweeter.

The Drumglass High School pupil endured a difficult start to the year. After excelling in pre-season testing where he was consistently in the top 10, engine issues blighted his efforts at the first couple of rounds and a team change led to a settling in period.

However, once he found his feet with BRP Racing on their reliable machinery he set about making up for lost time, regaining his confidence in the ultra-competitive Spanish series, reeling off some solid points scoring results in the process despite being by far the tallest rider on the tiny machinery.

But he saved his best for last, just as he had in the final race of the Moto2 championship last year.

This time around, he claimed a solid 15th place finish in race one, having been slip streamed by two riders on the line.

And in race two he showed all his considerable talented. After a challenging start which saw him forced into taking evading action to avoid another rider, he set about chasing the pack in front. He achieved that goal, breaking into the top 10 for the first time this term, taking a sensational eighth at the chequered flag.

“It’s been a hard year with luck totally deserting us at times but we have finished strong scoring points in the last few rounds,” he beamed “I’m just a kid from Northern Ireland who set out last season to learn from the best junior riders in the world and feel I’m a far better rider from it.

“Thank you to everyone who has the belief in me and been supportive, we now have a team of people around us that believe in me and will help me as I continue to learn and develop.”

The next stage of Lewis’s development will take place closer to home as he enters the British Talent Cup in 2025 with a team yet to be named.

And his dad, Adrian believes the experiences gained in Spain where he raced with and against the best young riders in the world, will stand him in good stead.

“The thing I try to get across to people is the guys who win the British Talent Cup haven’t been able to qualify for European Talent Cup races – they don’t meet the A grade time so they don’t qualify,” he explained.

“Five of the people in front of Lewis in his last race of the season at Jerez rode in the European Talent Cup this year and qualified and got top 10s in some cases, so that’s the level of that championship.

“The guy who finished second in that championship last year, won the European Talent Cup this year, the level of talent is mind blowing and it shows you who you are trying to compete with.

“So, to be a couple of seconds a lap off them after the season he’s had, is better than people realise.”