Shetland has given brothers Calvin and Bradley Sharp the opportunity to get so good at dirt-biking that they’re now in the top 10 motocross racers in Scotland.
Part of the family that have run the Scalloway Motors auto repair shop for more than half a century, the brothers have ridden motorbikes since they were toddlers, gradually riding more powerful bikes. Calvin, 23, and Bradley, 21, are now sponsored by equipment brand FXR and NorthLink Ferries to line up for nerve-jangling, adrenaline-soaked races in which 40 bikes hurtle around tight corners and over huge jumps.
Five years ago, along with a small group of locals including their father Alex, they helped design and build a national-class track beside a quarry just outside Lerwick, where they train most weekends. “People we race against think it’s a disadvantage coming from these islands in the North Sea,” says Calvin. “But for a lot of people on the Mainland, they have to drive for hours and pay much more for less track time. We’ve just got this right here, and a really tight-knit, friendly local scene. Shetland allows us to have this all-action life.”
For more interviews with people who live and work in Shetland, see the Why Shetland? section of this website. #islandsofopportunity #makeyourmove