WILTSHIRE world champion Danny Kent is certain that he is on the correct career path, despite turning down offers to leap straight to the highest echelon of motorcycle racing.

The Chippenham-born 22-year-old wrote his name in the history books by winning the Moto3 World Championship to become the first British Grand Prix motorcycle world champion in 38 years and naturally, offers to ride in the MotoGP followed.

But in 10 days’ time, Kent will instead be burning rubber at the Lasail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, as he kicks off the 2016 season in the intermediate Moto2 series.

The reigning Moto3 champ, who has recently finished a round of pre-season testing with his Leopard Racing Kalex bike in Jerez, Spain, is returning to the 600cc class after a campaign with Tech 3 back in 2013, and is in no doubt that he will benefit from completing a more progressive route to MotoGP.

“I do feel it is the right step. If I didn’t, then I would be in MotoGP as I had a few offers last year,” Kent told crash.net.

“We had more than a few options but I feel for my career in the long run, it was better to go to Moto2 and try to have some great results.

“My plan is to have just one year in Moto2, try to have a great year and do what Alex Rins did last year (finished second) and hopefully a good MotoGP seat will become available in 2017.

“I’ve taken a risk – maybe we’ll have a bad year and I’ll never get the chance to go to MotoGP ever again in my life.”

Kent, who this season will ride alongside Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira, who he pipped to the Moto3 title last term, also says that his world championship crown hasn’t weighed heavy on his head.

“I’m the same person – I just won a Moto3 world championship,’’ he said.

“In terms of experience, I learnt a lot last year as it was my first time fighting for a world championship and I was taking everything as it came because I’d never been in that position before.”