There were three reasons to be cheerful last week for Pattaya superbike star, Ben Fortt. Media, sponsors, relatives and friends gathered at the family’s pub, the Caddyshack, in Thepprasit Soi 8, to mark the racer’s 20th birthday, his international achievements in 2013 and his new contract for 2014.
Exactly 12 months ago Ben, with his father, Keith, had flown to the UK to see what he could achieve in one of the world’s most competitive superbike environments. They landed straight into one of the coldest and longest winters on record and one which caused numerous race cancellations and frustrations for the young Thai. However, even with no previous wet weather experience he quickly established himself as one of the frontrunners in the national Hottrax Motogrande 1000 class and began to rack up points in the rain and sleet.
Ben Fortt goes airborne at Cadwell Park race track in Lincolnshire, England.
When the weather warmed up Ben suffered a number of crashes and injuries as he pushed himself against seasoned opposition at the UK’s many varied and challenging circuits. During his last spell in hospital Ben and Keith decided to switch from the BMW they had been running to a Kawasaki ZX-10R. It proved to be a turning point. Ben found the consistency to go with the speed he had been showing and grew in confidence as he closed the gap on the championship leaders, finishing regularly in the top three, including two victories at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit.
He returned to Thailand at the end of the season as the 2013 Hottrax Motogrande 1000 champion.
The popular racer, known since the beginning of his superbike career as the Pattaya Iceman because of his cool approach to the visceral nature of his chosen sport, was not short of offers for 2014. With his father he carefully weighed the options of a further international adventure or campaigning in Thailand’s professional superbike championship. An approach came from six-times Thailand superbike champion and now Elf Smart Honda team boss, ‘Superbird’ Saen Choisak, to run in the professional SB-1 class in Thailand.
Speaking after a sumptuous buffet dinner, Keith Fortt paid tribute to his son and revealed that after witnessing the crashes and injuries during the first half of the season he had personally been ready to return home. It was Ben, he went on, who insisted that they finish what they had come to do. From that moment they never looked back and Ben became the first ever Thai to win a British motorsport championship.
‘Superbird’ endorsed the strength of character that Ben had shown: “I have known and watched Ben for a few years, from his first races as a rookie, to becoming Thailand’s SB-2 champion in 2012 and then his amazing achievement in the UK last year.
“He not only has good natural speed and control, but a thoroughly professional approach to racing. He listens, he works hard and he has the mental strength of a champion,” he continued. “I admire his approach and am looking forward to working with him this season. We have set a tough target, to win the SB-1 championship. If we are able to achieve it, we will send him to race in the Spanish Moto2 championship through our partnership with the Stop and Go Moto2 Team.
“The Spanish series is the one where most of the world’s top MotoGP racers, including Marc Marquez have been developed, so it is a fantastic opportunity we have been able to open up. Of course, there is a lot of hard work to do to win the Thai championship first!”
Ben took the microphone to express his heartfelt gratitude to his long-term sponsor CEA Projects. “CEA have supported me ever since I was in Supermoto and all the way through to today,” he said. “They have been hugely important in making possible what we have done so far and I cannot thank them enough.”
As a show of appreciation he presented CEA Projects managing director Kevin Fisher with a framed and autographed print of him airborne on his Kawasaki at Cadwell Park’s famous Mountain.
