Waters is off to Sepang

Just as his Year 10 classmates return to school from holidays, Josh Waters is going overseas to become Australia's youngest Grand Prix motorcycle racer.

The 15-year-old Waters, from Mildura in northern Victoria, makes his world debut this weekend in the Malaysian 125cc Motorcycle GP. A week later he will ride in the Skyy Vodka Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Victoria's Phillip Island.

Waters will eclipse the age records set by Australia's rising international star, Casey Stoner. At 15 years and 262 days in Malaysia, Waters will be just three days younger than Stoner was when he made his debut as a wildcard in the British 125cc GP last year.

And on October 20 - race day at Phillip Island ? Waters will be more than three months younger than Stoner was when he raced at last year's Australian GP.

A student at Merbein Secondary College in Mildura, Waters will miss a couple of weeks of school, but says it's "more than worth it" for the experience of a lifetime.

"School know that racing comes first, and they've been really supportive," Waters said. "I'll just have to catch up when I get home."

Waters was originally put up for nomination to the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme, the world governing body of motorcycle racing) for a wildcard at Phillip Island. International team owner Ian Edwards got wind of Waters' form and agreed
to field him in his British-based, Japanese-owned TSR outfit - which already runs Italian rider Andrea Ballerini in the 125cc world
championship and previously fielded top Japanese rider Noboru Ueda.

It was quickly decided that Waters should also race in the Malaysian GP to get some valuable experience in the lead-up to his home GP debut. "I'm a bit nervous about Malaysia as I've never ridden at the Sepang circuit," Waters said.

"The plan is to get there early and take a look at the track before the first practice session on Friday.

"I'll be meeting the team for the first time, and have to try out the new bike too. It's going to be a rocket compared to the old model I'm on now."

Waters has raced in Malaysia twice before, but both times at the Shah Alam track rather than the newer circuit at Sepang ? the venue for the Malaysian Formula One and Motorcycle GPs. His first international appearance was as a 13-year-old in the FIM Asian
championships where he scored a surprise podium finish in the 110cc Under Bone class.

This year he returned to Malaysia on invitation from Honda Thailand to race in the national 125cc GP, in which he finished fourth. Waters got his first motorcycle, a Suzuki 50cc four-wheeler, when he was three years old. A year later he started racing and now has over a decade's experience on two wheels.

Like his contemporary Stoner, who is wrapping up a very successful debut season in the 250cc world championship, Waters' background is in dirt-track racing. Before starting road racing a year ago, he had won 17 Australian dirt-track championships and 52 state titles, sometimes beating Stoner. He recently added another junior dirt-track title to the already impressive list, with three straight wins in the championship at Albury-Wodonga on the Victorian-New South Wales border.

His first senior road race was round two of this year's national 125cc championship at Mallala in South Australia, where he finished fourth in one race.

When he lines up on the 125cc grid in Malaysia against the best riders in the world it will be only his seventh open road race. "It was my goal this year to get a wildcard to the Australian GP," Waters said. "The Malaysian GP is the icing on the cake." His aim for his first two GPs is to score a world championship point by finishing in the top 15.