Shoreham Vehicle Auctions has been a long-time supporter of Thomas Strudwick, playing a key role in his journey as a professional racer.
For the 2025 season, Thomas is riding for Structural Repairs Triumph Racing in the National Sportbike Championship, and has an expanded official partnership with Triumph Motorcycles. We caught up with him to discuss his evolving career, the challenges of balancing racing and development work, and the continued backing from Shoreham.
Shoreham has been a great supporter for a long time. I think it’s been around six years now. One of the first things they helped me with was a car when I turned 17, which was a massive help for getting to training and the gym. I’m really thankful for everything Shoreham and Alex [Wright, Shoreham Vehicle Auctions Managing Director] has done for me over the years. My dad also works within the company, which has helped maintain that connection.
They’ve continued to support me, and we’re looking at some fun opportunities together throughout the season. For sure we’ll meet up in the UK and having their team come and join me at some of the races would be great. I’ll make sure to pay them a visit too! Of course, I have their branding on my overalls and the bike again, which I’ve had throughout most, if not all, of my racing career so far.
So, I’m a development test rider for Triumph’s road bikes. The main development work is done in Spain at a large test facility called near El Vendrell, where many manufacturers conduct testing. Triumph has a chassis development office there, but my role is mainly focused on electronics, specifically traction control and rider assists. Initially, UK-based riders were coming over to Spain for this work, but since I’m based here most of the time, it made sense for me to take on a more significant role with them.
I started with Triumph in October 2023, so I’ve been working with them since then, and now heading into 2025. Last year, I raced a BMW but also a Triumph, which was influenced by my growing relationship with the brand. I’m racing a Triumph Daytona 660 and will now be an official supported rider at the Structural Repairs Triumph Racing team in the National Sportbike Championship. It’s a great tie-in since my work with the development team aligns with its racing program.
Thank you! Yeah, it was a fantastic season. Winning the BMW Motorrad F900 R Cup was a great achievement. Alongside that, I also competed in the National Sportbike Championship, which supports the British Superbike Championship at most rounds. Alongside my Triumph commitments, it was a really busy year with a lot of traveling!
It’s a logistical challenge, for sure! My van stays in the UK, so for many of the summer races, I’ll either stay in the UK for back-to-back rounds or fly in, meet family, and then drive to the races in the van. My dad and Shoreham help out a lot with transport, he drives the motorhome while I take the van that Shoreham has delivered. It’s part of the typical privateer racing lifestyle!
In 2025, it’s more of an official Triumph effort. While I still manage my own infrastructure, it’s evolving beyond just a family-run setup. Last year, my dad stepped back from racing involvement, and we structured things differently. This year, we’ll be leaning more on Triumph’s support, making it feel bigger than a privateer effort. It’s an exciting next step for me.