Hotrod Chaz is held back at home by road laws

Chaz Davies has been blazing a trail around the globe this year as the youngest motorcyclist to score points in the sport's World Championship.

But, back at home in Powys, schoolboy Davies is stuck in the slow lane.

As he is just 16, the law bars him from riding his powerful race machine on UK roads - so the racer has resorted to a lowly moped.

It is a far cry from the speeds the teenager reaches on exotic international tracks - the moped offering more of a cough and splutter than a screech.

"It's a lot smaller and it's handy at home for nipping up the street, but it is a bit strange," he admitted.

Acclaimed

The Knighton-born rock music enthusiast has been leading a double life - part speed demon, part regular schoolboy - since the age of eight.

Davies first got on track at the Mini Moto junior championship in 1995 and scored three championships by the age of 12.

It's nowhere near the speed of a 250cc - that's the law and it's very strange Chaz Davies

Having cut his teeth in the 125cc World Championship for three years, Davies this year stepped up a class to 250cc with his Aprilia Germany team.

Last month, Davies scored a career-best 13th place at the Mugello GP in Italy - he sat his GCSE exams in a nearby makeshift classroom on the same weekend.

With a string of favourable press cuttings, the World Championship could soon be his oyster.

Limited

But, despite his clear talent, Chaz is racing ahead of himself.

UK motorcycle laws designed for less capable riders limit 16-year-olds to just 50cc - that means a moped is the best he can hope for.

Born: Knighton, Powys (10 February, 1987) Started racing in Mini Moto British Junior, 1995 Allowed to race 125cc, aged 12, placing sixth, in 1999 Set Donington Park lap record in same year Named 'Superteen of the Year' 1999

"It's strange because I can race in the World Championship on a 250cc with just over 100 horsepower," he said.

"I'm not sure what horsepower this moped has, but it's nowhere near the speed of a 250cc.

It means the hotrod - when he returns home from the likes of Japan, Malaysia and Brazil - must ride a disappointing five times slower than on the track.

But the restriction also limits eager Chaz's practice races.

"I'm not allowed to practice on the 250cc on British tracks - that's the law over here and it's very strange," he says.

"You'll get to the race weekend and I'll usually have just Friday and Saturday to practice - that's it."