Beyond the Track: Building Skills, Confidence, and Futures at Hedzup

Following a hugely successful weekend at East Fortune — where the Hedzup Racing team celebrated four race wins and another strong outing on track — the focus has now shifted back to something just as important: the workshop, the young people, and the work happening behind the scenes every week.

While race weekends often grab the attention, much of what Hedzup Racing is really about happens long before the visor goes down.

Over the past week, young people attending the Hedzup workshop sessions have been fully involved in preparing the bikes for their next outing. From basic maintenance and safety checks through to stripping components, servicing, cleaning, and setup work, the workshop has once again been busy with hands-on learning, teamwork, and problem solving.

For many of the young people involved, this is far more than simply “working on motorcycles.”

It is about:

• learning responsibility,

• developing practical skills,

• building confidence,

• understanding teamwork,

• and experiencing what real commitment looks like.

The workshop environment gives young people the chance to work alongside experienced adults in a calm, structured setting where they can ask questions, make mistakes, learn new skills, and gradually build belief in their own abilities.

At the same time, Hedzup’s Ian Pert has travelled to the Isle of Man TT where he is once again supporting the event in his role as a medic during one of the world’s most demanding motorcycle racing events. Ian’s experience in emergency response, motorsport, and youth development continues to play a major role in shaping the ethos behind Hedzup Racing and the wider organisation.

Back at the workshop, Pete has stepped in to help keep sessions running and maintain momentum with the groups while Ian is away and Finlay has stepped up to keep the Friday nights drop-ins going strong . Continuing engagement, structure, and consistency is hugely important for many of the young people attending, and Peter’s support has ensured the workshop remains active, positive, and productive.

Alongside the ongoing workshop sessions and race programme, Hedzup is also developing something with long-term impact firmly in mind.

Iliyas Campbell is currently working on the development of a structured motorcycle mechanics programme aimed at creating recognised learning opportunities for young people through practical motorsport and workshop-based education.

The long-term goal is to work toward delivering certified training aligned to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) levels, helping provide participants with meaningful pathways into employment, further training, apprenticeships, and the wider automotive and engineering sectors.

The vision is simple: take the enthusiasm many young people already have around motorcycles, engines, and mechanics — and turn it into structured learning, qualifications, confidence, and future opportunity.

It is another step in Hedzup’s wider commitment to combining real-world engagement with genuine youth development.

Because while race wins are always welcome, the real success is what happens away from the podium:young people gaining direction, skills, confidence, and a reason to believe they can move forward.

For Hedzup, that remains the goal.

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