Charity launched in memory of Dorset motocross rider
Celebrity chefs turned up for the launch of the Jude Morris Riding Foundation.
Two celebrity chefs were among those paying tribute to a teenage motocross rider from Dorset this month, as a charity launches in his name.
17-year-old Jude Morris died last year while competing in the British Motocross Championship last August.
Longstanding Michelin-starred chefs Tom Kerridge and Paul Ainsworth attended the Michelin MX Nationals on Wednesday 16th February at Cusses Gorse in Wiltshire to support and celebrate the launch of The Jude Morris Racing Foundation.
The event also raised £84,000 for Air Ambulance UK.
Paul Ainsworth was seen riding around the track on a Yamaha 250F. He said he came to support Jude's father:
"It was something that I really resonated to with my own dad when he was here. I just know that whole father-son bond, going motorcycle riding at the weekend.”
”I think going out there to find the next Jude Morris is an incredible thing because it’s an expensive sport and the dedication and all that you have to put into it.”
“For me, to be here, it’s a total honour."
The foundation has been set up to give young people the same opportunities Jude had to pursue a career in motocross. It supports 16 young people, giving them everything they need to become the UK's next motocross champions.
Mark Morris said:
"Motocross riders on the whole are professional athletes. If you're competing in the British Championship the level of dedication and the time invested in your bike, in your personal fitness, in your mental fitness... they are top, top athletes.
"Jude was all of those things, he was ahardworking, dedicated, motivated. He was becoming a role model."
Mark says he was becoming an ambassador for the sport.
"I know Jude would be incredibly proud of it, it's very early days but I think if we can create a legacy for Jude that inspires younger riders, raises the level of the sport, gets the sport out to more people... just getting people to touch more people would be an amazing result for us."