LEICESTER have won the race to sign British 250cc Youth Champion Cooper Rushen for his debut season in the National Development League.
The 14-year-old – who becomes eligible for NDL racing from his birthday on March 29 next year – is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the sport, with an impressive record in junior categories both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
His British Youth success started when he took the honours at 125cc level in 2021, a title he retained the following year before stepping up to 250cc level.
After finishing third in that category last year at the age of 13, he took the title in 2024 finishing 10 points ahead of Lions mascot Seth Norman, winning rounds at Workington, Plymouth, Belle Vue, Leicester and Edinburgh.
With the championship already secure he then raced in the 500cc class in the season finale at Glasgow, finishing second in that meeting to William Cairns.
Rushen and Cairns have also been highly prominent in major events abroad, combining to finish third overall in this year’s three-round European 250cc Pairs, and Rushen scored seven points in the individual SGP3 Final at Gorzow.
It’s another exciting signing for what promises to be an extremely youthful Lion Cubs team as they defend the NDL title next season.
Rushen said: “In terms of practice I’ve probably ridden the Leicester track the most, and I love it there. It’s a technical track which is definitely something I think you need to learn, and hopefully it will give us a home advantage.
“If you can get the set-up right there, you can be really fast, it’s a cool track and the people there are amazing. The facilities are great so for me it was a no-brainer.
“I’m really looking forward to racing for them and it’s so cool because I’ve ridden before with people like Sonny (Springer) and Ben (Trigger) back in the Youth series, so it’s going to be great to be able to reunite together.
“Hopefully we can get some points on the board and do well for Leicester, and also start paying some bills for my dad!
“I’ve been told we are unbeaten at home and we’re not planning to lose that, we’ll be doing everything we can.
“I’ve had a decent amount of riding on the 500, every time there’s been a practice I’ve been taking it out, along with a lot of riding in Europe on the 250, so hopefully that should come into play, everything will click and I can get off to a good start.
“But I’m just going to keep my feet grounded and see what happens, and just enjoy the roller-coaster!”
Six riders for the 2025 Lion Cubs team have now been confirmed as Rushen joins Trigger, Springer, Max James, Ryan Ingram and Eli Meadows. The final rider will be confirmed shortly.
