A broken arm sidelined young Brandon Kyee in 2010. The injury forced him to take a hiatus from riding mini road racers, and—like other kids—he kept growing during his time off. When Kyee was ready to get back on the track, he was ready to ride a full-size bike. Like many other riders his age, he chose to race a Kawasaki Ninja 250R. Unlike many riders from the U.S., he chose to race in Europe. This year will be the third straight season that Kyee, now 16, of American Canyon, California, will be racing on the Continent. After a year of racing Ninja 250s in the European Junior Cup series, and another year of racing the KTM 690 Duke in the series, Kyee will move up to the European Superstock 600 series—a support class that runs concurrently with Superbike World Championship rounds in Europe—on a Honda CBR600RR. “We knew that the racing was a lot bigger in Europe, so we’d get a lot more exposure,” says Kyee, explaining the family’s decision to race overseas rather than in the U.S., and explaining how the Superstock 600 ride came about. “We were running around in, I can’t even remember what country we were in, and we met with Michael Hill Promotions. They liked how I podiumed at Silverstone, and we met with them, and they put together the deal—and they’ll be helping us out some in 2013.” Hooking up with Michael Hill Promotions was a big deal. Hill, a former racer in England, has served as the media contact for the European Junior Cup, and represents several riders in the World Supersport and European Superstock 1000 paddock. One of those racers is Alex Schacht, a competitor in the World Supersport series this year and a competitor last year in the Superstock 600 series. Hill, Schacht and Kyee started talking, and put together the deal for Kyee to race Superstock for Schacht Racing. The podium at Silverstone last year was a big moment in the young racer’s career. The weather was abysmal, and the weekend started off “with a real bad highside,” Kyee says. “So I went into the race knowing I had to keep it upright. I did. I knew I was in third when I crossed the finish line—it was one of the best feelings ever.” It’s quite a distance from the Northern California town where Kyee lives to the top-level racetracks of Europe. Kyee became interested in racing through his father, who he said helped out a friend who club raced in Northern California. “We’d go to Infineon (now Sonoma Raceway) a lot, to Thunderhill,” Kyee says. “My parents were really into it.” Kyee started riding on a Honda CRF50, and progressed to a Honda NSR50 and a Suzuki RM65 on local kart tracks. When he came back to racing, he showed quickly that he had speed, finishing on the podium at Assen in the first race. (Imagine that: Going from a mini-racer on a kart track to the circuit at Assen.) “It was definitely an eye-opener,” Kyee admits. Kyee has relatively little experience on the 600, having ridden one only a few times and having never raced one. But he has some potential advantages: He’s no stranger to traveling to Europe. He knows where the tracks are and, once on the track, knows whether Turn One is a right or a left. And the team raced the bike last year to fourth in the Superstock 600 series. “You can definitely focus on the riding more,” Kyee says, explaining the difference that two years of racing in Europe makes for him. “We’re going to see how the competition is there. We’re going to target some top-10 finishes. The best part about racing in Europe, Kyee says, is the acceptance of motorcycle road racing as a mainstream sport. “I think the tracks are better and the atmosphere—the fans are just a lot more into the racing,” he says. The worst part? “The weather. It rains a LOT over there,” he added. When he is not racing in Europe, Kyee swims competitively, rides bicycles and plays video games. His focus is on racing—he hopes to do so professionally some day, while at the same time pursuing a college degree. And like any other healthy 16-year-old, he wants his racing experience to be fun. Kyee’s advice to other young racers who are heading over the Atlantic to compete? “Be ready for something different,” Kyee says. “And have fun—if it’s not fun, might as well not do it.”