Wheels of steely determination from a Cawood teenager have put him on track for a dream first season.

Richard Jarrold, a 17-year-old apprentice engineer, this weekend headed for the Darley Moor circuit where he will vie for the MCN Sunquest Roadstock championships.

The Selby-based speedster is currently lying third after Mallory Park magic in which he set the fastest 400c Roadstock lap en route to second spot.

Yet the astounding feature of Jarrold's progress is that he has only been racing since April and is up against many competitors more than twice his age.

A second finish and two thirds on his debut outing at Cadwell Park, then on a 400 cc Suzuki, showed that Jarrold was a natural. Since then he has sped up the championship ratings as well as amassing some 14 trophies, boosted by the acquisition of a quicker Kawasaki machine.

But as with most youngsters blessed with raw talent and potential there is one major obstacle in his way - lack of cash support.

Much-needed help has come in from TST Racing, Hobb Sport, Loyd Lifestyle of Penrith, and Lambert Engineering in Tadcaster, where he is an apprentice. But with a single tyre costing upwards of £250 then he needs much more backing.

Would-be sponsors can contact another of Jarrold's supporters, Roger Middleton, tel 01757 248677.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.