His need for speed and love of motorcycles came at an early age.
When Eli Banish was watching his father Tim race, he’d be riding off on his own mini bike to the side at the track or in the pits. During a break in a race when Eli was at a young age, Tim took Eli out on the track and then he realized it was time to step aside.
“Took him out on his PW 50, looked over and he’s in full tuck,” Tim Banish said. “He’s trying to race me and emulate me. So after he really started to pick some interest, I hung it up and wanted him to achieve his dream.”
Eli just got back to his Burlington residence from Spain, currently competing in the British Talent Cup, a motorcycle flat track racing Cup for riders and teams, competitors between 14 and 17 years old and racing around Europe. He’s competed in three of 18 races in the Cup and will return back to England here in close to a month to continue the Cup.
The British Talent Cup can be compared to a select group that’s picked for a national high school basketball team. Banish is one of 21 competing in the Cup, as they look to enhance their racing careers and make it to the next level, which would be the Junior World Championships and comparable to the college level. The big leagues would be MotoGP, what Banish aspires to be a champion in one day.
In the meantime, training and online high school coursework will take up his time before he heads back across the pond.
“When I’m over here in the states, it’s a lot of physical training,” Eli Banish said. “Weight lifting, mountain biking. Over in Europe, it’s a lot of time on the bike. Getting laps in, working on technique, just different things to try.”
Banish’s parents usually travel with him overseas, but don’t stay the whole time, Eli staying with a host family. That can create some anxiety with such a distance from your child.
“Very thankful for technology,” Tim Banish said. “We FaceTime everyday and have certain apps to check in. He trained over in Spain in the offseason by himself. You always have that thought in the back of your mind when he’s racing that something bad can happen, but the folks who train him and house him have known him for five years now and they work really hard to make sure he’s taken care of.”
Banish has a goal of trying to be in the top 10 when the British Talent Cup is completed in September.
While he misses the social aspect of attending high school (Banish is a 15-year-old sophomore), there’s no place he’d rather be than Europe and on his bike.
“I’ve been all over the place because of racing,” Banish said. “Raced in Italy, Spain and England. Trained in Spain a lot, trained in Hungary and I’ve been all over the place.”
Prior to the British Talent Cup, Banish won the 2017 AMA Dirt Track Grand Nationals in the 50cc Modified class. Since then, he’s transitioned to road racing.
“The big difference between the two is the riding style, ” Banish said. “On the dirt, you’re more upright. The track is closer to the ground and has a lot of strain to it.”
He was awarded AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year in 2019. He finished sixth in the MotoAmerica Mini Cup Series and 5th in the Italian CIV Season Finale races in 2020. In 2021 and ’22, he’s been able to secure multiple regional series championships with the WERA road racing club and compete in multiple Honda British Talent Cups as a wild card.
At 15, Banish will have the opportunity to race in the British Talent Cup for a couple more years, but he’s starting to outgrow his bike, a 250 CC. The next bike would be a 600 CC bike that can travel up to 165 miles per hour and a different circuit to race in. The 250 CC bike goes up to 140 miles per hour.
He’ll continue to race over in Europe until as he’s determined to reach his ultimate goal.