Born into a motorcycling family, Skinner started racing mini-motos at the age of seven. After taking the ‘Novice of the Year’ title in the 2008 Scottish championships, he progressed to become runner-up in 2009 and the Scottish Junior 4.2 Mini Moto Champion in 2010.

He then competed in the FAB Racing British Championship, where he won both the Junior and Junior Production Mini Moto titles. Two more British titles came the following year, in addition to winning the MiniGP 50cc championship on a Metrakit GP50 machine. In 2012 he moved up and won the British MiniGP 70cc title, along with the British Junior Production Mini Moto class.

Skinner was then invited to compete at the final Aprilia Superteen challenge race of the season and he went on to top the podium in one of his four races, becoming the youngest ever race winner in the series. In 2014,  Skinner then won the Superteens championship on his 13th birthday. Skinner also scored a podium finish as a wildcard in the European Moriwaki 250 Junior Cup during 2014.

In 2015, Skinner entered the Spanish RFME CEV National Championship and the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He then went on to score podium finishes at Aragon and Assen on his way to sixth in the final standings. Skinner then won the first race of the Rookies Cup, at Jerez the following season, while the Junior World Championship brought best finishes of fifth place.

Skinner then joined the inaugural British Talent Cup and with four wins he convincingly won the title. He also made the progression to bigger bikes, supplementing his Talent Cup outings with race winning Scottish championship appearances and entering three rounds of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 championship.

In 2019 he debuted in the British Supersport Championship, ending the year as the top ranked Kawasaki rider and best rookie – taking a podium at Donington Park on his way to seventh in the final standings. A year later and he joined the Team Appleyard Macadam Racing/Tysers Yamaha squad, Yamaha Motor UK’s officially supported team in the Championship, becoming the youngest ever British Supersport champion, exactly one week after his 19th birthday.

Skinner progressed to the premier Bennetts BSB class with the Kawasaki Motors UK supported FS-3 Racing squad. Riding the new-for-2021 Kawasaki ZX-10RR, he scored a brace of podiums at Knockhill and finished top rookie of the season. The following year they were right at the forefront of the championship, scoring five podiums finishes to become the third qualifier for the title deciding Showdown, becoming the youngest ever Title Fighter at the age of just 20. Unfortunately a late season injury, hampered the end of the season.

2022 also saw Skinner make his Grand Prix debut in the Moto2 class, taking on wildcard entries at the British and Austrian Grands Prix for the American Racing Team. The outings proved to be a success and, in 2023 he joined the team permanently in the World Championship. Skinner now returns to Bennetts BSB, joining the Cheshire Mouldings BMW Team.