11-year-old Scottish rider Sophie Kirkland is one of Haus of Moto’s ambassadors. She is the 2025 Scottish MiniMoto Rookie Champion, and Girl’s Cup Champion. This year, Sophie is racing in the AC40 Junior B category in the Scottish MiniMoto Championship. We recently had the chance to talk to Sophie about her motorcycling dream, here’s her story.
© All photos provided by Sophie Kirdland’s family
For 11-year-old Sophie Kirkland, the roar of a motorcycle engine is the soundtrack to her happiest memories, a passion ignited by watching her father race. “My dad races on a bike, and I grew up watching him since I was seven or eight. I’ve been watching him for a while, and I’ve been asking to do something like it, to ride bikes. Then we went out to the circuit, and we tried on a bike. We had a practice day, and we were there till 6 o’clock at night. It was really fun! I just got the buzz. I was hooked from that, and I wanted to keep going.”
It makes me happy when I’m racing. It’s really fun.
Since the very beginning of her career, Sophie has been guided and mentored by her father, a bond so strong that she even chose to carry his racing number, 33. “When we go to a track, my dad helps me get used to the track, and he gives me some of the best braking markers for it. He was basically putting himself in my position and thinking where would be the best braking markers from his experiences. Now I’m on my geared bike, he’s helping me with my gears at the track. He would also help me if something goes wrong on the bike.”
While her father is the architect of her racing lines, her mum is the quiet cornerstone of her racing world, ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. “My mom helps around the track, being the marshal, putting tire warmers on my bike, getting my bike stands on, helping me push my bike back to the paddock.”
From the moment Sophie was hooked on motorcycling, her career quickly fast-forwarded to the moment where she realized she was a really good rider. “One time when we were riding, I saw another kid who seemed to have more experience because he had a proper suit on, yet I only had simple knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet on. I thought he must be doing it properly. So when I was much faster than him and was going past him, and we were all thinking, ‘Oh, Sophie is doing quite well’. That was when I knew I could do something really amazing.”
But in motorsport, not all your moments are moments of overtaking other riders. Sophie too has already experienced some setbacks. “Once we were racing at a car circuit, and I came off at the same corner twice. I felt really upset about it, because I was in a battle for the championship. I started crying. But then I realized when we went out for the third race that weekend, I just didn’t care anymore. I did really well. I think no matter what happens, you just keep going and try again.”
This year, Sophie has taken a significant step forward, starting training on an Ohvale 110 and 160 with her sights set on racing them competitively later in the season. “My legs are really long on minibikes. So I really enjoy riding the bigger bikes. But on the geared bike, the challenge was the gears at the start. Now I’m on both Ohvale 110 and 160, they are two very different bikes actually, and I’m enjoying both of them. It’s really fun! Right now I’m still in the Scottish Minimoto Club. The Ohvale can race at some of the tracks. Next year, we are thinking about going into the British Mini Bike Championship and racing my Ohvale there.”
Even with a busy racing schedule, Sophie remains a typical 11-year-old at heart, balancing her speed on the track with the simple joys of school and friendship. “My school doesn’t do homework, but we still need to read books and everything. Sometimes I need to miss school on Monday or Friday because of my race weekend, but I would still read books. I enjoy school a lot, and I can’t wait to get back to school after the summer.”
We also asked Sophie some fun questions, here are her answers:
Who are your racing idols besides your dad?
Chloe Jones, Maria Costello, and Kyle Ryde
If you can invite any famous person – rider or not – to watch you racing from your pitbox, who would it be?
Marc Marquez, because he’s one of my favorite riders. Kyle Ryde, because he’s my favorite racer. He’s really humble, and he’s the best. They can probably give me pointers.
Do you have rituals before getting on your bike?
I wear my Kyle Ryde socks.
Do you have a song that you hum to yourself to get into racing mood when waiting on the grid?
I don’t have a song for the grid. But sometimes I sing the Eminem song ‘round the outside, round the outside’ (Without Me) when I’m going past someone.
With the 2026 British Grand Prix on the horizon, where FIM MotoMini UK, British Mini Bikes, and FAB Racing will feature as support events for MotoGP at Silverstone, Sophie’s excitement is palpable. We wish Sophie all the best of luck at Silverstone and the rest of the season! We hope she realizes her dream to become the first female British Superbike rider soon!
Paddock Sorority 
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