A sidecar motocross team from Bordon have enjoyed a solid start in this year’s world championships.

Sidecar Team Kinge, comprising rider George Kinge and mechanic Mark Kinge from Bordon, and passenger Paul Horton, lie 18th in the championships with 17 points after the first two grand prix of the year in Spain and Portugal.

George, 26, has competed at the world level for a few years after rising through the ranks.

“I started riding sidecars in 2013 after watching my dad ride for most of my childhood until he retired from racing in 2009,” said George.

“Our first four seasons were spent racing at club and British level until 2017, when we decided to make the jump to world championship level. We finished 25th in the world and were also selected to represent Great Britain for the first time in the Sidecarcross of Nations, in which we finished fourth.

“In 2018 we had a similar season, finishing 23rd in the world after attending ten of the 12 scheduled rounds.

“We were also chosen to represent Great Britain at the Motocross des Nations in Denmark, where we achieved fourth position.

“2019 was our best season to date, in which we attended all 14 rounds of the world championships. We managed to score 159 points, giving us 17th in the world and narrowly missing out on the top 15. We finished third in that season’s British Championships and were selected for Team Great Britain in the Motocross des Nations, where we finally achieved a spot on the podium in third.

“Covid put a stop to our travels abroad for 2020 and 2021, so we raced locally and managed to defend our third place in the British Sidecarcross Championships in 2021.

“2022 saw us head back to the sidecarcross world championships with a short six-round calendar scheduled for the first year back after Covid.

“We finished 24th after being plagued with engine troubles. The last round saw us go out early after a crash in qualifying saw me break my collarbone and two ribs.”

George has returned from his injuries and this year sees the return of a 14-round world calendar.

In the opening round in Talavera de la Reina, Spain, Sidecar Team Kinge finished 11th in pre-qualifying, sixth in qualifying, 13th in the first race and 20th in the second race to finish 16th overall.

In the second round in Alqueidao Torres Novas, Portugal, the team finished tenth in pre-qualifying, ninth in qualifying, 17th in the first race and 17th in the second race to finish 20th overall.

Sidecar Team Kinge will be in action this weekend in Kramolin, Czech Republic, in the third round of the sidecarcross world championships.