All around the world, Cumbrians are certainly making their mark on the motorsport scene.

Karting star Jonny Edgar and Workington Comets speedway sensation Kyle Bickley have been among the younger of those to impress in their respective sports recently, having won the 2017 CIK-FIA European Junior Championships and 2016 500cc British Youth Championships, respectively.

The pair were at M-Sport’s Dovenby Hall base, near Cockermouth, on Monday to meet their Cumbrian team principal Malcolm Wilson who steered the side to FIA World Rally Championship glory last season.

Bickley, 16, who also rides for Belle Vue Colts and Manchester, admits it was “a privilege” to be invited to the home of M-Sport on a glorious June morning.

The Workington lad says: “It is nice to get out and about, to show off the cars and the bikes. It is good for promotion and stuff like that with our sponsors.

“It is a privilege to be here. Looking around and looking at the cars, it is brilliant. It is something you don’t get to do every day.”

Edgar agrees there is plenty to shout about in Cumbrian motorsport.

“Yeah, I think there are a lot of people in Cumbria that are very talented in motorsport,” he says.

“For a lot of motorsport, it is more difficult living here, because you have to travel more. But there is still a lot of talent around here, I think.

“Hopefully, we can both become quite famous in the sports that we compete in. I think it is both our goals to do that.”

On the event, Cockermouth’s former world rally driver Wilson OBE adds: “I think it just reinforces what can be done from Cumbria.

“Obviously, we have had great success on a global scale, but it is great to see youngsters developing and evolving.

"It is great to see these boys are so young and getting success at such an early age, which is great for the future.

“They have great aspirations. Jonny obviously has great aspirations to be in Formula 1 and he has been recognised at an early age by Red Bull.

"They have a great history and pedigree in motorsport, in a lot of disciplines.

“He is on the right path and is with the right people to take him to the next level. But, of course, at the end of the day, it is still down to the individual to develop that desire and passion.

“I think a bit of Cumbrian spirit doesn’t go amiss!”

Bickley is far from the only Cumbrian impressing on the speedway scene, though.

“In speedway in Cumbria now, there are riders coming through,” he confirms.

“There’s one in the Grand Prix [Craig Cook] and there’s me. There’s quite a few amateur ones, as well.

“As for in the cars and the karts, there’s good programmes going on and lots of people coming through.”

And, although more used to racing on two wheels, Bickley certainly seemed impressed with M-Sport’s race car.

“You know a good piece of kit when you see one, they are brilliant,” he enthuses.

Then, on his upcoming plans, Bickley adds: “Next week, I have five meetings in seven days. In between, I have got to maintain the bikes.

“One of the meetings is in the Czech Republic, so it is tough, and there’s a lot going on.

“But it is nice to have the day off today and do stuff like this.”

Having only returned to the UK from competition in the early hours of Monday morning, Edgar’s schedule seems similarly busy.

He explains: “I’m competing in the European Championships at the moment, and then there is a World Championships at the end of the year which is just one race.

“It is not going as good as I hoped at the moment. But the Championships before the Europeans I did quite well in.”

Edgar adds: “It is difficult now because I have moved up into the senior category, so I am racing people that have done it for a lot longer, and are a lot older.”

Despite his globe-trotting exploits with M-Sport, Wilson admits he is always keen to keep a close eye on the local motorsport scene.

“For sure. I love to see success in all sports, particularly on the motorsport side of it,” he says.

“If you think about what we have got in this part of the world, it is really encouraging.”

Meanwhile, when asked about M-Sport’s current campaign – which will resume in Finland next month after a mid-season break – Wilson replies: “We are not achieving the success that we had this time last year, but we are still in with a fight.

“We are second in both drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships. So, it is still all to play for.

“It is definitely not going to be as easy as last year, which we knew, but we still have a great team and committed bunch of people. We just have to give Sébastien [Ogier] the best possible chance of getting a sixth title.”

The 34-year-old Frenchman certainly looks like the other person capable of challenging Belgian driver Thierry Neuville, who leads the way, for the title.

Wilson explains: “Sébastien has had more victories this year than he did in the whole of last season, but there have been a couple of events where there’s been zero scores. That has put us in the position we are in.

“Now, hopefully, we can really challenge.

"There are some exciting changes to the car so, hopefully, the car will be a little bit more competitive in the second half of the season.

“Hopefully, this break gives him time to mentally prepare to tackle the second-half of the season in the way that he needs to do.”