SLINGSBY sidecar star Rob Bradley and his Skipton passenger, Tristan Winterburn, are the new British Masters Grass Track 1000cc champions.

Bradley and Winterburn stormed to victory in Folkestone after amassing the most points among 24 sidecars during their heat, semi-final and final races.

It was the second time Bradley had won the title but the first time he had claimed it outright, having finished the joint champion in 2001 when wet conditions meant it was impossible to run the final and the two leading sidecars could not be split by points or times.

This year's triumph was also made astonishing by the fact that Bradley, 38, and Winterburn, 22, were racing with an engine that had only been taken to Kent for spare parts.

Their normal engine suffered a valve problem that put it out of action after surviving several years of competitive grass track racing.

"To win with that engine was amazing," Bradley said. "It had just come straight out of a normal motorbike so it shows you that when it's your day, it's your day."

Bradley describes the sport as 'sidecar speedway on grass' and the British Championships were raced over an 800metres oval - three times the size of an average speedway track.

The sidecars travel at an average speed of 55mph and are capable of touching 90mph on the straights although motor mechanic Bradley, who is the chairman of Pickering and District Motor Cycle Club, describes his hand-built, eight-year-old sidecar as 'pre-historic'.

Bradley first took up the sport eight years ago when his brother, Geoff, rode for him as the passenger and he knows how important that role is in a successful sidecar team.

He said: "The passenger makes sure you have plenty of grip and does most of the steering because it's all about weight distribution. I rode with my brother until we had a nasty accident and wrote the bike off. After that he did not want to carry on.

"Then Ann Holmes rode with me and we qualified for the British Championships but we had another nasty accident near Oxford and she did not come back after that. I've broken a few bones - too many to list - but that's part of racing.

"Tristan is about the best passenger you can get at the moment."

Bradley's next big meeting is the Bonfire Burn-ups in Tonbridge on November 2 but, in the meantime, he may try his hand at another motor sport.

"I might do a bit of sidecar speedway," he said.

"It's a new thing but I've done all sorts in the past, including solo grass track when I was about 22, moto cross and enduro racing. Give me a bike and I'll have a go at anything.

"I got into sidecar racing when my brother, Geoff, bought one and decided we should race together.

"It was great to win the British title and I'd like to thank my helpers, family and friends for all their help."

Updated: 10:57 Saturday, October 04, 2003