China’s 4-year-old motorcyclist: while his classmates play, this kindergartener spends his time training to be a professional rider
- Xia Boen, 4, spends most of his spare time outside school at a motorsports circuit in China and aspires to become a professional motorcycle rider
- Already an adept motorcycle rider, Boen is also handy when it comes to the mechanical workings of his bike
On a racetrack in eastern China, a mini-sized motorcycle is roaring past one curve after another at high speed. What makes the sight so unusual is the rider — a four-year-old boy on a bike so tiny the wheels are smaller than his helmet.
While other children his age spend their time playing with toys, kindergartener Xia Boen from Nanjing in Jiangsu province, spends much of his spare time training at a motorsports circuit.
The boy closely follows domestic and international racing competitions and has lofty aspirations of becoming a professional motorcycle rider and competing internationally in the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Boen first showed an interest in motorcycles at the age of two when he travelled on the back seat of his father’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle around the Chinese countryside, the Yangtze Evening News reported.
Already an adept motorcycle rider, Boen joins adult riders for racing training at a professional track in the city up to four times a week. His father Xia Fei, a diehard motorcycle fan himself who takes part in amateur contests, said the boy can finish a 1.3km lap in 76 seconds.
“Motorcycle racing was my dream when I was young — I feel sad that I was never able to realise that dream,” Xia said.
“Since my son is crazy about this sport, I think I should provide those opportunities for him.”
