Instead he surprised himself, finishing second at the Victorian Road Racing Championships.

The result was a confidence-booster for the Warrnambool teenager who only jumped up to the 600cc class two months ago.

Collins, 16, finished second in his three races, enough to snare overall runner-up status.

“I’ve only been old enough to ride in the class for two months so I haven’t had much practice or time to develop the bike,” he said.

“I was riding 125cc Moto 3 class and towards the end of this year have stepped up to super sport.”

Collins said he changed his goals after a strong start in his opening race.

“We thought, we do have a chance,” he said.

“The first race I led for half the race and Ryan Taylor, who has won the Vic title four years in a row, passed me.

“But for me to be able to keep in front of him for a bit was a big achievement.”

Collins, who won the C grade crown, also highlighted his speed, coming close to a race record.

The Warrnambool College student produced a 58.1 second lap, just short of the 57.6 record.

Collins will fly to New Zealand in January to compete in three rounds of its championships.

“In the next three years I want to win the Australian super sport championship and hopefully move on to the British super sport championship,” he said.

“I have been racing motorbikes for as long as I can remember.

“It’s just what I love to do.”