A 14-year-old Bridgwater motorbike racer who had his sight saved thanks to a haircut when he was a young boy, is now in the fast track to the top of the motorsport world.

TJ Toms has lived his life in the fast lane since he first climbed onto a racing motorbike, and the budding Moto GP star, who attends Chilton Trinity School in Bridgwater, has scorched into the limelight this year, racing in the HEL Motostar Championship with Team Repli-Cast UK Racing, and making his name on the national circuit.

Long before the high-speeds and sharp bends, TJ faced a challenge tougher than any race circuit, and overcoming it set him on the road to stardom.

At the age of just two, TJ was diagnosed with fused skull bones, which were causing a build up of pressure in the brain and could have been life threatening if left untreated.

A year later, he underwent major surgery to reconstruct his skull and relieve the pressure.

The surgery was a success and TJ made a full recovery.

That same day, TJ’s father, Kevin, who at the time owned a motorcycle tyre company, took him to Castle Combe, where he himself was on a track day.

It was here the young racing prodigy fell in love with life on two wheels, as Kevin explains: “During the day TJ had been playing with some friends at the track side and when we looked at him, he was riding a push bike with no stabilisers. As you can imagine, we were amazed to see him at just three years old on two wheels.

“It was at this point that we realised that he had natural balance and that this ability needed to be used productively.”

It is a day that sticks long in the memory for TJ, whose early recollections consist largely of race tracks and the scent of burning rubber – setting the scene, whetting his appetite.

“My dad used to race himself, so I’ve grown up around the racing atmosphere,” he says. “My hero, although long before my time, was Barry Sheene which is why my race number up until this point in my racing career, has always been the number seven.

Sheene was a British World Champion Grand Prix motorcycle racer between 1968 and 1984 – and the teenager is keen to follow in his hero’s footsteps by making it on the sport’s biggest stage.

“My ultimate aspiration is to race in Moto GP, but before I reach this point I need to progress in British Superbikes (Moto 3), then on to the Spanish World Championships, where we would hope to progress to earn a much valued position in Moto GP.”

The fast-paced, high risk nature of motorcycle racing would be seen as daunting by many, but to a fearless young man who has already overcome so much in his short lifetime, it is the thrill that keeps him racing.

“It’s like the biggest adrenaline rush you could imagine,” says TJ.

“Going into a corner, not knowing whether you are going to make it or not, you have to have no fear, but when you make the corner, I just can’t explain the buzz."

TJ entered his first race in October 2010 at the age of nine – on a 4.2 Mini Moto bike.

In the last round of the LCRRC championships at Whilton Mill in Daventry, he announced his arrival on the circuit by winning all three races that weekend and the ‘Man of the Meeting’ award in the process.

His immediate success saw him move into Mini Moto GP 50 in 2012, where he built up more than 350 points over the season, putting him in second position in the British Championship Mini GP 50 class, in just his first year on a geared bike.

This year TJ is competing in the HEL Motostar Championship, which runs alongside the British Superbikes.

Third place finishes in 2013 and in 2014, gave him special dispensation to ride in the Aprilia Superteens Championship, where he finished his first year in eighth place overall and fourth in the Nitro Newcomers, an outstanding result in his rookie year.

At the time TJ moved to the HEL Motostar Championship he was leading the Aprilia Superteens Championship and was looking to further his career by taking the next step up.

But as with a huge number of sports, reaching the summit is an expensive business and TJ is seeking new sponsors for the 2016 season.

“Our sponsors are very important to us,” he said. “We appreciate them a lot and would like to take them forward throughout my racing career.

“In order for me to continue my career, we do need to find more companies to get involved and to support me throughout my career.”

It’s a career that’s moving rapidly up through the gears – and if TJ Toms’ first 14 years are anything to go by, the next 14 look set to be a whirlwind ride.

TJ is currently sponsored by Shaun Wynne – SMW, Skills Direct, Swindon Karting, Johnson Metals, K and B Motors, Steve Curtis – SRC, Joe Mog – Munchkins Catering and Bridgwater YMCA.

Anyone wishing to be involved should contact kevtoms224@talktalk.net or shar@repli-castukracing.co.uk