NORTH YORKSHIRE'S eight-times sidecar World Champion Steve Webster, MBE, is back at Silverstone tomorrow for the first time in 16 years to race in the fourth round of this year's Superside Sidecar World Championship.

His last visit to the famous Northamptonshire venue was back in 1986, when he finished second to the extravagantly bearded Dutchman Egbert Streuer.

Webster, from Easingwold, was there only weeks after his first World Championship race win, at Belgium's Spa Francorchamps circuit, and was desperate to put one over the super-fast Streuer, who went to win the World Championship that year, taking his third and final title.

Webster's career was just beginning and now, 47 wins and eight titles later, he will visit a vastly different circuit to the often wet and windswept Silverstone of old.

Dramatically and comprehensively revised and rebuilt, it is, to all intents and purposes, a brand new venue, and now far more famous for hosting the British Formula One Motor Racing Grand Prix.

Featuring seven lefts and eight righthanders over the 5km full circuit, it is going to be a tough track.

Little used as a motorcycle track over the last 16 years, it has been remodelled from the vast, featureless open spaces that made it seem a remote viewing experience for many spectators. You could tell it had been an airfield.

Now with lots of new corners, it presents far more of a challenge to racing skills than the old point-and-squirt flat-out blasts of the past.

After three rounds, this year's Superside Series has produced three winners: Steve Abbott in Valencia - after Webster and passenger Paul Woodhead cruised in with engine problems - before Webster came good in Kyalami, and then Klaus Klaffenbock snatched a win in Monza.

With the mid-season break coming up soon, Webster is as keen as ever to get maximum points.

"It's not been a bad season so far. We've had a few problems and Klaffy outsmarted me at the last race, but we're still confident that we can win races on the day," he said.

"It's going to be a new circuit for everyone, but Paul and I have a tendency to learn new tracks quite quickly. I suppose that comes with years of experience. I can't believe it was 16 years ago when I was last there though."

Webster, who has rebuilt his Suzuki 1200 motor since Monza, added: "It was using a bit of oil, but we got delayed waiting for some piston rings coming from America. No one in this country had any left.

"It's going to be a tough race. The chicanes are going to bunch everyone up and I think Steve Abbott is going to be fast there, but we know what we can do."

The switch to Saturday racing, for the time being at least, is something of a double edged sword.

"They've rescheduled us to Saturday tea-time so they can get the race on video and then show on Sunday, which has got to be better for exposure and attracting sponsors in," said Webster.

"For some of my sponsors though, they enjoyed the full day of racing on a Sunday and the atmosphere of a day of different races.

"I don't mind, but if better TV exposure brings more interest to the sport it's got to be a good thing

"We have a very busy and quite tiring couple of days though, with everything crammed in two days.

"There's not a lot of time between final qualifying and the race to change things if anyone needs to. But overall things are looking up for sidecars, so the people running it must be doing the right things."

As well as Abbott, Webster will face a tough challenge from championship leader Klaffenbock and the rejuvenated Markus Schlosser, who was going well in Monza before his engine blew.

Webster and Woodhead's former team-mate Jorg Steinhausen has also been picking up the points and is capable of getting to the front.

The main leveller between the competitors could be the hard braking and acceleration demanded by the chicanes and the as-yet unknown track surface qualities causing tyre problems. With no previous race data to go on, tyre choice could be critical.

The Superbikes and Supersport races are on Sunday. Honda's Colin Edwards will be hoping to get the better of Troy Bayliss, who has won every round bar two so far, when Edwards beat him in Japan. Top Brit Neil Hodgson will also be out to make his mark.

Updated: 11:58 Friday, May 24, 2002