Wesley Steinschauer could go all the way to the top - he just needs a little help to get there.

That is the verdict of his father Fred, whose faith may prove to be well placed.

There are a few people in the bike racing world who are keeping an eye on the 16-year-old from Lancing.

Steinschauer has made rapid progress since first getting on a bike competitively less than three years, initially doing motocross.

Now he is competing in a series which showcases the best up and coming talent in road racing and he has big plans for the future.

Fred said: "Everybody who watches him ride says his talent is clear.

"He is in the top five juniors in the country and I would say he would be top three or two with the right set-up.

"He has natural ability but he needs some help. We haven't got the money to do what we want to do.

"Wesley is racing on a standard machine and he is up against bikes worth ten times more than ours.

"He is great at late braking into corners but he is often over-powered on the straights. His corner speed and riding ability stand him out as a natural talent."

Steinschauer currently attends Boundstone College, although he will be going to Chichester College from September to study motorcycle engineering.

He began in motocross two-and-a-half years ago, then went along to Angmering Oval to take part in a 125cc pit bike race.

Pit bikes are something between mini-motos and big bikes and Wesley soon took a shine to them. He finished third in his first race and within three races was out in front.

Last year he went on to win the British national pit bike title before being invited to attend Rookie Red Bull Academy trials in Spain.

Fred said: "He didn't get in but we got really good feedback on him. For someone who hadn't ridden 125cc bikes before they said his times were really good.

"We realised he had potential in road racing and thought it was a good way for him to go so this year we have started racing an Aprilla 125."

In the East Midlands Racing Association series, Steinschauer has won four of his races, finished second once and did not finish his other race. He currently leads the series from the more experienced Shaun Winfield, who has been racing Aprillas for three seasons, has backing from the Hawk Kawasaki team and won the first round of the MRO Superteen series which makes him one of the quickest young 125 riders in the country.

For Steinschauer to beat him in four out of six races outlines his potential.

He has also been competing in the ACU Motostars 125 Championship, although that has not gone so well as he came off on the last corner while in second place at Brands Hatch, did not attend the meeting at Croft in Yorkshire as it was too far and then qualified second at Silverstone last weekend only for the race to be stopped due to bad weather.

Next up is a visit to the ACU Academy in Pembrey, Wales - an invitation only meet - and he has already had one offer of a sponsored ride for next season, which is being considered.

Wesley, who is being helped by local business SBS Motorcycles in Lancing, is certainly enjoying himself.

He said: "I would really love to make a career of racing. I need to get as much sponsorship as I can though as racing is expensive.

"I really enjoy racing and it is going really well. When I was at Mallory Park recently I went two seconds quicker than last year."

The Steinschauer family are originally from South Africa, although they moved to Britain in 1999. The name is a bit of a tongue-twister but it is one that might be worth remembering.