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LEXINGTON — Ian Fraley’s motorcycle racing career has shifted into high gear.
A Lexington eighth-grader, Fraley is racing for Real Steel Honda Racing on the MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup by Motul. Fraley is the youngest competitor on the series, which is open to racers 14 to 21 years of age. He turned 14 on Jan. 26.
“He’s the youngest, but he’s not the shortest anymore,” his father, Matt said. “The kid’s like 6-feet-tall now.”
The series debuted at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas with a pair of races in late-March before making a stop last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Fraley picked up his first top-10 finish in the second race of the weekend Sunday at the 16-turn, 2.38-mile road course.
“He got ninth in the rain on Sunday, so that was pretty exciting,” Matt Fraley said. “He had a rough weekend in Texas that first weekend, but he’s starting to get settled in.
“We showed up in Texas and we didn’t even have the trailer parked before the MotoAmerica guys were interviewing him. Some representatives from Honda came over and introduced themselves and they knew him by name. His eyes were as big as softballs. It was a lot for him to take in all at once.”
It’s all part of the younger Fraley’s evolution. He began racing motorcycles when he was 7 after a short-lived ATV racing stint. He competed on the MotoAmerica Mini Cup Series when he was 10.
“I’d have to look up the stats, but I think he’s won a combined five or six championships over the last three years,” Matt Fraley said. “He’s done pretty well for himself.”
So well, in fact, that Honda took notice.
“That is a pretty big deal for him. Honda hasn’t been in the paddock for a while now, factory-wise,” Matt Fraley said. “When they signed him, it was as a multi-year progression. It’s not like he’s expected to go out and win right away. They want to keep him for the next couple of years and mold him.”
The MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup by Motul is a step up for Fraley. Competitors all race stock Kramer APX-350 MAs with Dunlop tires.
“It’s a new class and everybody is on the exact same bike. It’s a Kramer chassis with a KTM 350 (cubic centimeter) motor in it,” Matt Fraley said. “It’s a spec class, so the things you’re allowed to do are limited in order to keep costs down.
“They get two races every round and they’re doing seven rounds. Then the top five get an invitation to Red Bull Rookies Cup, which is another series overseas.”
The series will make a stop at Lexington’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August in conjunction with the Permco MotoAmerica Superbikes at Mid-Ohio weekend.
“We’ll be racing at Mid-Ohio, which is exciting,” Matt Fraley said. “I’ve talked to the team and they are going to see what is available, but we’d like to have a hospitality area for him at Mid-Ohio.
“Honda has always had a strong relationship with Mid-Ohio and now you’ve got a Lexington kid racing for Honda at Mid-Ohio.”
Honda sponsorship has other perks, too.
“He’s got his own crew chief now. It’s not dad making the decisions,” Matt joked. “All I am is a transport driver for the rider.”