Image: Taken by Colin Fraser, supplied by Little Mountain Media / Andrew Van Winkle, 15, was invited by Bridgestone for a tire test run in Florida in March 2023. Less than two years after being the youngest person to receive a racing license from the Westwood Motorcycle Racing Club, the motorcycle racing prodigy has been given another honour: the opportunity to race in the newly-established Pro Twins class of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack motorcycle racer Andrew Van Winkle

15-year-old Chilliwack motorcycle racer headed to Canadian Superbike Championship series

Apr 13, 2023 | 10:14 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack teenager Andrew (AJ) Van Winkle headed down to Florida recently for his spring break, but not for the typical getaway undertaken by vacationing teenagers and their families.

Instead, the motorcycle racing prodigy fulfilled a mission by working with professionals from Bridgestone to test out their bikes and improve his ride.

All this before being old enough to acquire a B.C. driver’s license, too.

Less than two years after being the youngest person to receive a racing license from the Westwood Motorcycle Racing Club, Van Winkle, now 15, has been given another honour: the opportunity to race in the newly-established Pro Twins class of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

The five-part race series takes place between May and September 2023, with four races in Ontario and one in Nova Scotia, and will be televised on TSN.

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As an invited rider, Van Winkle is being provided with a Suzuki 650 twin for the series, a similar bike to the one he’s been riding for a couple of years, only with more power. It will be his first time racing in a professional class, against professional riders, which he says he is excited for.

“I’m really looking forward to participating in this new series,” Van Winkle said. “If I want to get better, I need to keep pushing myself and race against better racers; this will be my chance to do that.”

Image: Little Mountain Media / Andrew Van Winkle of Chilliwack.

In yet another first for the Chilliwack teen, Van Winkle was invited by Bridgestone for a tire test run in Florida in March 2023. This trip provided Van Winkle the chance to work with the Bridgestone engineers to make sure he was getting the best performance from the tires.

“It was a pretty awesome opportunity,” says Van Winkle. “Having the experts on the track, checking out the tires and making tweaks to improve my ride was a really cool experience.”

He says spending his spring break riding in Florida was memorable in many ways, adding “it’s not every day you see an ‘Alligator Crossing’ sign as you enter a race track!”

Though Van Winkle knows this is an incredible opportunity to race faster competitors and improve as a rider, he says it does come with high travel costs. To help cover the multiple trips across the country, Van Winkle and his FD Racing team are hosting a fundraising dinner on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at Town Hall in Chilliwack. Open to all ages, anyone wanting a ticket, or to support the young racer can connect with him online at www.facebook.com/fdracing45 or at flyingdracing45@gmail.com.