Watching on from the pit wall at the impressive Autódromo do Algarve, one can only be impressed by the young Moto3 riders as they get to work in conditions more akin to a winter's day on our west coast. Blankets of heavy drizzle, accompanied by buffeting winds, make this official Moto3 test — well — as testing as conditions can be for bike racing.
But it’s the first of only two outings the teams and riders will have ahead of the season’s opening race in Thailand on Sunday, 1 March.
Lining up on the grid this year, having signed a two-year deal with Italy’s SIC58 team, is Ireland’s 18-year-old racing sensation, Casey O’Gorman.
Through the torrential drizzle, his green, white and orange helmet becomes visible as the Irish rider nails it along the near 1,000-metre main straight in Portimão, going noticeably faster than those who’ve just passed before him… and in a flash he disappears over the crest, swoops downhill, before applying the brakes and tipping his bike into the first right-hander.
A quick glance at the live timing and, yes, he’s fastest.
O’Gorman is already established as a natural talent in the world of motorbike racing but, as yet, his name remains relatively unknown in Ireland. As my former colleague Eamon Dunphy would say, this is wrong, wrong, wrong!
Listen…
The Portlaoise native has already been racing for 14 years — yes, 14 years.
Your maths are correct. That means he had his first race at the tender age of four.
Casey was introduced to the sport by his dad, John, who has been an ever-present influence and support as his son forged his way through the junior ranks in Ireland, Britain, Spain and Italy. He now finds himself firmly established among the talented elite of the Grand Prix paddock.
Many riders require substantial financial backing from sponsors, wealthy mentors or philanthropists who want to share the journey.
But O’Gorman has made it thanks mainly to significant sacrifice on his family’s part and fistfuls of raw, natural talent. On the current grid of 27 riders, he’s one of the few who isn’t bringing a trailer-load of cash to his team. It’s not that the other riders aren’t talented but most teams can’t survive without significant financial input from the rider.
SIC58 were willing to bite the bullet, forego a moneyed rider and give O'Gorman his place on the grid for free — something almost unheard of. That’s the belief they’ve shown in the young Irishman.
Since he first twisted a throttle, O’Gorman has been a serial race and championship winner.
Those in the know have been tracking his progress for years, and his wildcard rides in Moto3 last year only confirmed what they already believed: the teenager was more than ready to take that next step.
Now he pits his raw speed against the rest of the world as he enters his first full season in the Grand Prix paddock.
The Moto3 season begins with the Grand Prix of Thailand (27 February - 1 March).
We, the Irish sporting public, should be watching.
