Racing at Silverstone is like a Dream Come True

11-year-old British rider Daisy Polden is one of Haus of Moto’s sponsored riders and also one of the riders who kick-started the Haus of Moto project. This year, Daisy is racing in the Fab-Racing MK-70 Championship (a category from which riders like Scott Redding graduated) and Extreme200 Junior Championship. Before the British Grand Prix, we had the chance to talk to Daisy about her motorcycling dream, here’s her story.

© Photos provided by Daisy Polden’s family and Haus of Moto

Daisy’s love for motorcycles was practically written in her DNA. Growing up surrounded by the sights and sounds of racing, her path into the sport felt almost inevitable. “I grew up watching my dad in motocross and road racing. He also works for RS Racing in Moto4 British Cup as a mechanic. So I’ve always been around bikes my whole life. When I was around three, my dad put me on a PW, and I used to ride around the garden on it. That’s how I’ve gotten into this sport. I started off doing a little bit of motocross, and then I started getting into road racing. When I was six, I had my first race in FAB (Minibikes British Championships).”

Guided into the sport by her dad, Daisy’s entire family is now involved in the sport. She is also playing a critical role in her sister Savannah’s career. “My dad is my mechanic, and he also helps on the track. He helps me study the track with track walk, track map, and the data. He also helps me with my body position on the bike and lets me try different things. When we went to Silverstone for a test day (before the race weekend), I had Marco Holt (Moto4 rider) helping me. It was quite good that he was training me. I also have other people dipping in and out, helping me. My sister is riding in the AC40 Rookies class. I’m trying to help encourage her, tell her where to be on the track. My mom is the emotional support for both of us. If we come off the track being a bit disappointed, she will talk things through with us.”

Racing at Silverstone will be like a dream come true for me. We will be riding while the MotoGP race weekend is on. It’ll be quite fun! I want to try and meet the MotoGP riders. I most want to meet Pedro Acosta, I look up to him quite a bit.

The transition from riding for fun to racing competitively came quite quickly, and Daisy discovered she had a natural knack for racing. “We were practicing a lot in our local track. One of my dad’s friends introduced me to FAB racing. We tried a round, and I was quite good at it. It was easier to learn the gears, but a little bit harder to learn how to be aggressive on the track. But when others try to take my lines, I’ll fight them off and earn their respect on the track.”

A lot of the time it’s just about being brave when your body is telling you – no, don’t do that. You have to almost go against your natural reaction.

In the past few years, Daisy moved up quickly through the categories in FAB Racing. Her results this season have given her plenty of reasons to smile. “The highlight of my career so far is from the beginning of this season, I came in fourth in the MK-70 class, and I also got a fourth in Extreme200 Jnr. I was quite pleased with that.”

But racing is rarely a smooth ride. In the face of setbacks during a race weekend, it was Daisy’s parents who helped her find her footing again and turn the weekend around. “In my second round in FAB, I crashed in qualifying 1, so it set me back quite a few places on the grid. My mom helped me a lot trying to encourage me to try again and be better next time, and my dad told me what I should be doing on the track. In qualifying 2, I managed to get a decent lap, so the weekend wasn’t too bad.”

Balancing schoolwork with a racing career is no small feat, especially for someone so young. But Daisy has found a system that works, ensuring her education doesn’t take a backseat when she’s chasing checkered flags. “If I have homework on a race weekend, I’ll try and do all my homework while we’re traveling to racing, or I’ll try and do it during the weekdays so it’s all done and out of the way. So I don’t have to worry about my homework while I’m out with racing.”

We also asked Daisy some fun questions, here are her answers:

If you can invite any famous person – rider or not – to watch you racing from your pitbox, who would it be?

Probably someone from WorldWCR, like Tayla Relph (Collins).

If you have to use an animal to describe your riding style, which animal would it be?

Probably a leopard.

With her talent, determination, and unwavering family support, Daisy is a rising star to watch in British minibike racing. We wish her all the best and can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next!