Growing pains

It took aspiring champion Ed Rendell two bed-ridden years to recover from the life threatening injuries he sustained in 2011 at a pre-season test in Cartagena. Debilitating injuries, including a pelvis fractured in three places, required Ed to be airlifted from Spain to a specialist at St George’s Hospital in London to receive reconstructive surgery on his shattered body.

That wasn’t the only setback Ed suffered on his journey to winning the 2014 Motul Motostar 125 Champion. While rags to riches wouldn’t necessarily be the most accurate description of Ed’s motorbike racing career, from rag doll to reigning champ might be a fair summary of the last few years.

In 2009 Ed sustained a broken leg at Cadwell Park which put his ambitions temporarily on hold. Fully recovered, he returned to racing in 2010 with unfinished business to attend to. But it was one of those years so many racers have where things just wouldn’t come together. Clashes on track and unreliable machinery made it a season to be forgotten. Move on. Move up. That was all he could do.

Clashes on track and unreliable machinery made it a season to be forgotten. Move on. Move up.

The next year saw Ed make the attempted move up to Superstock 600, only to be curtailed by that fateful accident in Spain. For many, that might well have spelt the end to any aspirations. But along the way Ed’s obvious talent and determination hadn’t gone unnoticed. Two years later in 2013, Pete Banks, owner and team manager of the highly respected North Northumberland based Banks Racing, made Ed an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Pete Banks, owner and team manager of the highly respected North Northumberland based Banks Racing, made Ed an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Fast forward to 2014 and we end a season that has seen Ed in truly commanding form, achieving 12 out of 12 podiums, five race wins and, to top it all, being crowned Champion of Champions.

This remarkable achievement, rising to the top, so quickly after so many setbacks, is largely a testament to Ed’s skill and resolve.

But as any racer will tell you, a great rider needs a great ride. And speed alone doesn’t win championships. Reliability is equally key. Part of the reason why the Banks Racing offer was so irresistible was because of the team’s reputation for preparing fast, reliable bikes – and this was a major factor in Ed’s decision to join the team (maybe the fact that his bike was sparked by NGK had something to do with it as well…).

So Ed, who is neither the shortest nor lightest rider on the grid (he’s some 20kg heavier and a foot taller than his fellow competitors), decided to wrap his lanky frame once again around a 125 and see what he could deliver. And deliver he did, securing second place in the championship.

Ed’s ambitions now are to move up to a category where he can find a bike that fits him!

As ever funding the budget is the major obstacle. So if you’d like to help Ed step up to the next level, check out his website at http://www.edrendell12.com/.