Tom Edwards may not have spent much of his life in Wellington, but the town has had a lasting impact on the rising star of the motorcycle racing scene.
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The 22-year-old now calls Europe and the Netherlands home as competes in his second season of the Supersport World Championship series.
This coming weekend he'll be racing at his "home" track of Assen, but he still hasn't forgotten where it all started.
"I moved away to Newcastle when I was pretty young but my nearly whole family are still in Wello," Edwards told the Daily Liberal from Europe.
"Both my Mum and Dad grew up there, I spent a lot of time there growing up so it's a core part of who I am. Some of my earliest memories of being on a bike are in Wello.
"My school holidays were spent either in the shed with my Pop or riding around on family and friends' farms."
The Supersport World Championship, or WorldSSP, may be vastly different to the world of the elite MotoGP, but a number of future stars have raced there.
Former Australian great Chris Vermuelen previously starred in the WorldSSP superbike series.
Edwards made his debut last year and finished 22nd overall out of 46 riders while he finished a hugely impressive second in the World SuperSport Challenge series.
The Challenge is for riders who only compete in the European races.
Winning the Challenge event in Portugal was a highlight while that final round also resulted in his best WorldSSP overall finish of 11th.
"Some kids dream about being a firefighter or an astronaut but if you asked me I was always going to be a professional motorcycle racer," Edwards said.
"It wasn't why I got into riding though. My whole family loves it, I think Edwards boys are just wired to love bikes.
"To be racing at this level is definitely a dream come true but I still have a long way to go and I'm still chasing the dream."
The WorldSSP is a tier below the premier Superbike World Championship and Edwards' ultimate goal is to claim glory at the top level.
But racing is also about much more to him.
While still young and finding his way in the sport, Edwards is hopeful he can inspire other Australians to chase their motorcycle racing dream.
In 2023, he was one of just three Australians racing in the WorldSSP.
"Eventually, I'd like to create pathways for young Australians in motorcycle racing," Edwards said.
"It's not a common sport in Australia because it's not very cost effective for a beginner and not as accessible in Australia like it is in places like Spain and Italy. Those are the guys you usually see battling at the top, because they have different opportunities over here in Europe.
"It's a very expensive sport to get into and even more expensive if you're good at it and want to take it to the next level and compete against the best in Europe.
"One day I'd like to use my platform to help Aussie kids get into racing and be the best in the world."
The cost of a single season for Edwards is more than $200,000 and "everything is still 100 per cent out of pocket unless I can find sponsors and raise money".
Anyone interested in supporting Edwards can follow this link to donate or email admin@tomedwardsracing.com .
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
