At 19, the young man cleverly decided to reach out to one of the province's most popular TV shows, Evening News, for help. He called the show's hotline repeatedly until one of the journalists agreed to meet him. He asked the reporter to film him riding in the hope a racing team would notice his raw talent.

"I don't want to just show off my skills," he told the journalist. "I don't have money and I don't know anyone. I just want a chance to get exposure so that I can join a professional motorcycle team. Once I am in, I can do anything, fix bikes, cook and clean."

The TV crew was interested in the wiry, stubborn teenager but not sure about his riding skills.

Due to extreme nerves, his old motorcycle, or the lack of grip in the mountainous terrain, his live performance was poor and he fell off several times. The film crew was unimpressed. They politely said goodbye to the enthusiastic youngster and drove off to the next filming location.

Zhang, however, refused to give up. Convinced he had simply underperformed, he jumped on his dilapidated motorcycle and trailed the news vehicle with dogged determination for over 100 kilometers. The grueling pursuit in the rain lasted nearly three hours.