Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship   -  Round 1 - Crickhowell, 11 - 12 April

Reigning champion Richard Kershaw got his title defence off to a perfect start as he took victory in the opening round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship at a sun-drenched Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell.

The venue was a new one for the championship and a six mile course using the Estate's gravel and dirt tracks proved to be testing for the competing crews with a mix of fast straights and tight tree-lined corners. Huddersfield's Kershaw led the event from run two onwards and finished over two minutes ahead of nearest rival Chris Hammond.

"The first run was very slippy, it was a bit of a wake up call and it took a while to get back in the groove after a few months away from competing," Kershaw said. "We were lucky and had a trouble-free event with no breakdowns. It was a good event, very enjoyable, and the sunshine was glorious!"

Hammond was pleased with second overall after a consistently quick performance in his Milner R5. "I thoroughly enjoyed the event, the course was very technical which made it challenging" he said. "It's a very good start to the championship for me and I'm looking forward to the next round."

Hyde's Martin Gould took third place in his Mattserati, a further three minutes behind Hammond, with Steve Lloyd claiming a solid result in fourth.

The championship moves to Radnor in Powys for round two in May with a challenging forest course being planned.

Results

1.Richard Kershaw 206 Evo 9 1:21:14

2.Chris Hammond Milner R5 1:23:29

3.Martin Gould Mattserati 1:26:59

4.Steve Lloyd Milner R5 1:30:53

5.Dan Lofthouse Lofthouse Proto LD4 1:38:10

6.Tony Coid Tomcat 100 1:38:44

7.Martin Cox Tornado Evo 2 1:40:08

8.Michael Moran Wildcat 100 1:41:39

9.Greg MacLeod Tomcat 100 1:43:13

10.Gary Bartlett Milner R4 1:43:41