A HALF-DECENT pair of football boots will set you back more than £80 and a top tennis racket will probably dent your bank balance to the tune of £200.

So spare a thought for 15-year-old Backford motorcycle racing sensation Joe Francis, whose racing budget this season runs at around £100,000.

The Neston High School student is racing in the new Moto3 class, which runs alongside the British Superbike series, and has been snapped up by team WD40 to race their 250cc four-stroke Honda.

Joe, who last year finished a creditable fifth in the British Motostar Championship on an uncompetitive 125cc Honda, says with the bike he has now he is looking to end the year as British champion.

He said: “This season is so different. I finished second at the opening round at Brands Hatch and managed the same result at Thruxton. Tarran Mackenzie won both rounds but it was really close and we were a good 30 seconds or so ahead of the rest.

“My problem at the moment is getting track time to test the bike and get it sorted out properly so it’s working as I want it.

“It’s crazy, because at 15 I’m not allowed to ride at circuit track days. That means we only get to test at race meetings.”

Joe’s dad, Troy, who runs his own fibreglass business, says he is thrilled Team WD40 offered his son a contract for the season.

He said: “People are really watching and taking notice of Joe.

“Last season he rode for Pete Banks, a North East enthusiast who raced himself and now tries to help good up-and-coming young lads by supplying and tuning bikes.

“As a family we had to put a lot of cash into Joe’s racing. This year the budget is over £100,000 and of that we are having to find about £15,000.

“It helps he has a contract with Shark, who supply him with £500 helmets when he needs them. And he has other sponsors such as Newt Oils, Bennetts Insurance and F & G Commercials.

“Next season, if things go to plan and Joe continues to impress, we are looking at moving to the Spanish Championship and that would cost in excess of £200,000.

“The other alternative is the Moto3 World Championship and that would be at a cost of at least £140,000 and doesn’t take into account air fares and transport around the world. It’s a costly business which is why you need to impress and get signed up by a top team.

“And of course, doing well as a young teenager and winning classes such as the Moto3 championship is your gateway to the very top and, ultimately, a MotoGP ride.”

Joe, currently in his GCSE year, says his school has been very supportive allowing him time off from his studies as long as he puts the time in to catch up.

He said: “My tutor, Mr Baker, comes along to Oulton to see how I’m getting on. It’s hard but race meetings are run over three or even four days. I get to the track early on a Friday and help the team set up.

“Once the race is over, and so long as I have finished in the top three, I go to the podium and have to talk to Eurosport on camera as they broadcast the races live. I’m used to it now but was a bit nervous at first. Then it’s back to the pits and I have to talk to WD40 hospitality guests and tell them how the race went.”

Troy says his son, who is mentored by motorcycle racing legend Roger Marshall, has progressed effortlessly since winning the British Minimoto Championship as an 11-year-old.

He said: “He doesn’t let anything faze him and we know top teams are watching his progress closely. He’s gone from Minimoto to winning the British GP 50 and British GP 50 and 70 Metrakit championships.

“Then in 2011 he won the British Thundersport GB Aprilia Superteens Championship and the Aprilia Superteens Nitro Newcomers Championship.

“The only other rider to have done that was former MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner. That’s how good Joe is.

“And, of course, being mentored by Roger Marshall is huge for Joe. Roger has been wonderful and really believes Joe can go all the way.

He even raised more than £3,000 from regulars and racing enthusiasts at the Tilted Barrel, his local pub in Grimsby, to help fund Joe’s racing.”

Sharon Francis, Joe’s mum, says watching her child race at speeds in excess of 130mph is a terrifying experience.

She said: “I love racing and always have, but knowing your child is out there is frightening and very difficult. I usually go and watch from the time-keeping office. All I care about is how many laps to go. Where he is in the race doesn’t matter to me at that point. I just want him to live his dream and to become a world champion if he can. But most of all I don’t want him to get hurt.”