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 Moto KL was launched in 2004 by a member of the Youth Offenders Team and West Norfolk Borough Council to try and raise young people’s road awareness.
Bikes and protective wear was provided free to school teams who took part in practice sessions as an after-school activity, and an ‘end of season’ race day was held in the Tuesday Market Place in the centre of Kings Lynn in September that year that was supported by Norfolk Arena (the local speedway track home to the Kings Lynn Stars speedway team) and Norfolk Constabulary among others.
Members of MAG East Anglia were also invited to marshal at the event.
Then in 2005 I, as the then East Anglia MAG Rep, joined the Moto KL committee and started a non-school team called MAG Sport J(uniors)s supported by MAG Sport.
 Efforts were being made to find the project a permanent home and, in 2006, Norfolk Arena generously created a track at their stadium in order to provide Moto KL with a permanent venue.
Thanks to their generosity Moto KL was able to expand the whole project - it was now able to offer a safe, legal and, above all, free place to ride, but now any youngster aged between eleven and seventeen who lives in Norfolk could go along.
A Coordinator was appointed and 2007 saw the launch of the Moto KL first race season.
Thirteen teams participated, made up of individual riders allocated to teams managed by the Moto KL Co-ordinator or teams of six riders managed by an adult of their choice.
Weekly practice sessions took place from April to October and youngsters were taught riding and racing techniques, and an end-of-season race day, funded by MAG Sport, was held with some eighty riders competing for twenty two trophies at novice and a more experienced level.
The 2008 race season starts on 3rd April, sponsored again by MHB Services (who kindly donate to the project) and MAG Sport.
 New riders and those who rode in 2007 will make up teams in the novice section and in an experienced league too, and both groups will take part in practice sessions throughout the Summer before entering an end-of-season race day in October.
Seeing as, these days, it seems that mini motos and the kids that ride them are practically Public Enemy No 1, it’s good to see that there are some people out there who realise that it’s not the kids or the bikes themselves that are not the problem, it’s the fact that they, generally, they have nowhere to ride them.
In Norfolk, at least, that problem has been addressed by Moto KL.
For more info on Moto KL go to their website at www.motokl.org.uk
Thanks to Keith Chapman and Nathan Holland of Norfolk Arena speedway track (www.norfolkarena.co.uk), Sue Payne of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, PC Paul Smith of Norfolk Constabulary, Dave Cusdin, Colin Perris, Paul Moss, Simon Mollett of BSE MAG/Mad Cows, MHB Services, Westcotec and Trevor Baird of MAG Sport (www.magsport.com).
History by Shan Tedder - first published in 100% Biker magazine.
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