“From absolutely no age I was bike crazy.”

Andy had been cycling and tearing the place up on trikes and bikes since eighteen months old, and was now begging his parents for a bike. So Andy’s Dad scoured junkyards and breakers to build Andy his first bike, a little Yamaha PW80.

Christmas came, and after rushing to see his presents, a seven year old Andy was disappointed to see he hadn’t got a bike. To calm Andy down his dad sent him for a cuppa in the kitchen, where Andy finally found the bike he longed for. Crying with happiness, no other presents were opened as Andy rode the classic peewee in his pyjamas.

Three months later, aged eight, he was racing a Kawasaki in motocross. A year later he scored his first podium in the British Youth Motocross Championship, with second at Donington Park.

The Ulster and Irish Championships followed swiftly as Andy rose through the classes until the first broken leg of his career put him out of 2006.

This disappointment was quickly forgotten with a year of unbridled success, that would seed his future. He won the BYMC 85cc class, and the Irish and Ulster Championships too. In Ulster, a thirteen year-old Andy was undefeated in seventeen starts.

Current World Superbike rider Jonathan Rea recognised Andy’s talent and encouraged him to pursue a career on the tarmac.

2008 saw Andy take second place in the Nitro Newcomers Championship in the Aprilia Superteen Challenge. Andy took his first win at the last round, at the last race. Success continued on the two-stroke ‘prila’ in 2009.

The British 125 championship followed. A year and a half on the Aztec GP bike saw impressive speed and potential. Andy had his work cut out to gain every advantage he could, and in the end gained an invaluable grounding in data-logging and set-up work.

At the end of 2011, Andy was offered a place with Aye Gee Suzuki in the British Superstock 600 series. He qualified on the front row in his first appearance.

Knowing this was the next step, Andy took a ride with CN Racing for 2012. The first tests saw him running lap-record pace until disaster struck. A snapped femur at the second test at Cartagena put him out of action for over a year.

To make matters worse, it was during this time that Andy’s father, who had built his first bike, passed away.

“I had nothing – no money, no leathers, no racing license.”

But when Ryan Saxelby phoned Andy with the offer of a ride, it was clear he believed Andy still had the pace to win.

When Andy returned to the 125 GP grid in July 2013, after all the anguish of 2012, he grasped the chance with both hands and held on tight. He didn’t care how he did or where he finished. In awe of being on the bike again, Andy enjoyed the rush of endorphins as he planted his knee on the floor in honour of his father.

“When you’re happy, you ride fast.”

On 11th August 2013 Andy lined up on the grid at Oulton Park having raced only once in the last eighteen months. To the amazement of everyone, including himself, he went on to win the race by an amazing 31 seconds. In the six starts he took that season, Andy won three times. Every race he classified, he won.

His last outing saw him gain Milwaukee backing aboard the RS Racing Honda, in a move that would build strong bonds and return him to the class that 2012 had robbed him of. 600s beckoned once more.

Milwaukee Racing saw the special talent Andy had and respected the struggless he’d fought. With full factory backing and logos on his leathers, Andy with his FFX Tools R6, took nine of twelve pole positions, ten lap records and five race wins against the most ambitious and talented of his peers.

The championship went to the last race of the last round. Andy took his R6 to within 0.3s of the title.

To celebrate, Milwaukee Racing let Andy have a go on their superbike R1 in the Sunflower Trophy, coming third in this his debut.

In 2015 Andy joined the Team Traction Control squad in the British Supersport Championship.

Aboard the R6 again, with slick tyres and fettled engines putting out circa 150bhp, Andy will be racing machines that would thrash top-flight GP bikes of the eighties.

His ambition? To win it, naturally.

However, following his most successful race weekend so far, he came off his bike in specular style at Oulton Park (round 9); bringing his season to an abrupt end.

After Andy’s debut season in 2015, he made a name for himself as the hard-charging rookie.
With wins under his belt in his first season in the class, Andy has signed for the Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki team for the 2016 season, joining British Superbike riders Luke Mossey and Filip Backlund.
However disaster struck again when he came off his bike at Oulton Park (round 9) again, on the exact same bend; bringing his season to an another abrupt end.

“I’m just delighted to have been give this opportunity by TAS Racing and Tyco BMW to finally join the British Superbike grid. I’m coming in as a rookie with a clean slate, so I’m coming with an open mind and ready to learn from an experienced team. They are a team I have always admired and yeah, I’m pretty excited if I’m honest. It will be a steep learning curve, but again I have confidence in my ability to learn; this is a work in progress and I can’t wait…”