START OF A NEW ERA FOR GB YOUTH

Images courtesy of Steve Hone Photography

The young Brits lost out in a three-man run-off to finish fourth in Pila, Poland on Sunday morning.

GB finished on 19 points with Ashton Boughen top scoring on 13 and Luke Harrison on six as they finished behind Poland on 25, Sweden 22 and Denmark also on 19. Boughen lost to Bastian Pedersen in the run-off for the Bronze medal.

However, Vatcher was delighted that the hugely-inexperienced team - which included reserve Freddy Hodder - had achieved so much.

He said: “To be honest it was a great performance. We were all disappointed at the end. It is bittersweet but I’m really proud of the boys.

“But to be fair it was a credit to everyone that we’d got so close and only just missed out on a medal.

“It was a fantastic display. Ashton was the stand-out rider. However Luke started with two zeroes, but that was against Sweden and Denmark from the outside gates. But he was still right in the mix.

“Thereafter in his next four rides he got three second places. That’s Luke's first time in Europe on the 500cc.

“In Poland it’s tough and I totally admire all the boys and the team for such a positive result.

“Unfortunately Freddy didn’t get a ride but that’s also credit to Ashton and Luke for the way they performed, they were so good and so on it. There just wasn’t the opportunity to give Freddy a ride.

“Just one extra point and we would have been on the rostrum, that’s frustrating.

“Ashton gets a special mention for his win against the Polish team. Wiktor Przyjemski passed him twice and Ashton re-passed him. That was absolutely sensational. He is coming of age big time.

“I sort of tried to calm everyone down then because that was a real special moment. But we still had big races to go.”

Vatcher also vowed that the Great Britain youth structure is beginning to pay dividends with more youngsters coming through the ranks.

He added: “Luke turned 17 this week, Freddy is 17 and Ashton is still 16. They have got more chances at this level to make an impact and get a medal.

“We’ve got more boys coming through as well. We keep talking about the process and the riders coming through the Youth Championship.

“Luke has come up right through from the 125cc and is now competing on the world stage. That’s from when he was eight until now at 17-years-old. That’s a proud moment for all of us in the national squad.

“That was only Ashton’s fourth time on the world stage and Luke’s first time.

“Most of the riders in that meeting are riding on those circuits week-in and week-out in the Under-24 league in Poland.

“We are competing with Poland, Denmark and Sweden. We are not quite there yet.

“But the work and the effort that everyone puts in is starting to pay off."