Arenacross attracts Pro riders from all walks of life … there are a few who can dedicate their working life to racing and then there are those who ‘work hard for a living’ … such as the ‘fastest chippie in the UK’ Matt Bayliss …

When we caught up with Bayliss he was getting all the timber up on a roof, building a house extension!

This is Matt’s real world, working hard running his own business and employing three accomplices and an apprentice. “There’s plenty of work,” he says. “We’re always busy. The other lads are out doing other jobs. It’s a good little group. Hard work but we get by and have fun. Stressful though!” His company, HB Carpentry, specializes in all aspects of his trade, from door hanging and wardrobes, to roofs.

Matt went to college to learn all the joinery and general carpentry side of the business before operating first with a firm then setting up on his own for five years. “Injury can always be a worry when you’re racing,” he admits, “because I have a house and mortgage. But I could go out on my pushbike or mountain bike and hurt myself doing that!”

A love for indoor racing

Twenty-nine-year-old Bayliss lives in Crowthorne, near Reading. His love of indoor racing started when, as a 13 year-old, he contested the youth classes of the Future West series on a 150 Honda. He won both Youth Lites and Clubman’s titles a couple of years later before moving on to Arenacross. His kid brother Chris followed a similar path, encouraged by their immensely enthusiastic dad Dave and mum Carla.

Matt has come close to podium finishes, most notably at Belfast in 2017 when third, with two laps to go, he crashed hard. “A nightmare,” he groans amiably. He had stopped doing British Championships outdoors the previous year, then did a couple of random rounds in 2021, but was tempted back by the generous sponsorship of Welshman Taylor Darby, through his company Darjen Contractors. The successful result was victory in the Amateur Motorcycle Association’s 125 championship, riding a GASGAS. “That was a bit old school racing,” he muses. “But it was cool winning the title and Taylor is a really nice guy”. Now Darby is backing both Bayliss boys on 250cc Kawasakis in this year’s British Arenacross series.

Incredible support

The plus side is that the boys have never had the level of outside assistance that they are now receiving. “So many people are wanting to help us with stuff like a van and kit,” he enthuses. “An Italian company, Nils Oils, is helping, and Shocktech suspension; Dad has paid for some of this but they are people who really want to do it, rather than us going out and searching for it.” And Dave will be at their side once again, running the bikes. “We’re keeping it simple,” adds Matt. “with Dad doing the mechanics!”

And what of their prospects? “We’ve done it for years so it would be great to win, but a top five would be nice. We’ve always exceeded what we wanted to do, so even a podium would be something special. It’s cool because we riders only ever get to see one another when we are racing and we all get on really well, so I’ll be pleased for any of the lads who do well.”

Thanks to the enthusiastic input of Taylor Darby the Berkshire brothers will be running under his Darjen Contractors banner, so get behind the UK’s fastest chippie and give him plenty of vocal support. You might need him on your roof one day!