DESPITE incessant rain in the couple of weeks leading up to the region's biggest motorsport event of the year, which made ground conditions difficult for fans and organisers alike, some of the best racing of the season was played out in front of yet another bumper North East crowd when Croft Circuit hosted the tenth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship last weekend.

The drama started during Friday afternoon's practice when championship leader Shane Shakey' Byrne crashed out at high speed on his Airwaves Ducati causing the session to be stopped while he was attended to by medical personnel. Luckily, he was relatively uninjured with just two broken teeth and a damaged shoulder for his troubles as he looked to clinch the championship he has dominated all season long.

However, following on some fantastically close racing when Sunday eventually dawned bright and dry, Byrne's injuries meant he had to put the champagne on hold as the two Leons, Camier and Haslam, took a win apiece in the two, 20-lap encounters.

Camier, from Ashford in Kent, and on the sister bike to Byrne's 1200cc Airwaves Ducati, came through the field to edge out Haslam in race one, with popular Yorkshireman Tom Sykes bringing his Rizla Suzuki home in third place after a desperate lastcorner move on Byrne, who finished fifth.

Then in race two, Byrne missed a gear coming out of the chicane on the opening lap, meaning he had to battle through from tenth to eventually finish fourth as Haslam, riding for the Newcastle-based sponsors HM Plant on his factory Honda, came through to win ahead of Sykes with the second of the HM Plant Honda riders Cal Crutchlow in third as he claimed his first Croft podium.

The end result means Byrne goes into next weekend's penultimate meeting at Silverstone needing just a ninth place finish in either race to clinch his second BSB crown.

As far as local representation went, it wasn't the best of meetings for the region's riders around the 2.125 mile North Yorkshire track. The locally based Hydrex Bike Animal Honda British Superbike team from nearby Guisborough saw their rider James Ellison score a best result of seventh in race two, with team-mate Guy Martin languishing in 18th in the opening leg and in the British Supersport Championship race. Middlesbrough's Paul Veazey recorded a 24th place finish on his return to the series aboard his Storm Motorsport Yamaha.

In the 125cc race, Nortonborn Michael Hill, now living in London, recorded his best result of the season in tenth place whereas Jamie Ferguson from Hartburn saw his wretched season continue when he retired on the opening lap.

● Fourteen-year-old Max Coates, from Scorton, who attends Richmond School, returned to the Wombwell Karting Stadium in South Yorkshire to compete in the prestigious Cock of the North' kart race meeting.

He competed at the same meeting last year, finishing a close second, but this time he managed to go one step further up on the podium driving his Focal Earth-backed Tonykart.

Max was on top form from first thing on Saturday morning, running top three times throughout practice and was only topped by the circuit's local drivers. Sunday dawned dry and Max performed well in the heats, qualifying second on the grid for the all important final.

Unfortunately this put him on the outside for the first corner and he was forced back to fifth position as the battle at the front was hectic and the pace very fast within a few tenths off lap record pace.

The Coates Garage driver held a watching brief, leaving it until three laps from the end before making a very brave but calculated move to surge into the lead of the race. Under intense pressure from the following four-driver pack, Max used his wealth of experience gained over the last six years to hold off the field to claim a well-deserved win front of a good crowd of spectators.

●With only 22 registered competitors travelling to the tenth round of the Northern Saloon and Sport Car Championship at Knockhill last weekend, all of the championship point-scoring classes were combined together on the grid.

Unfortunately, Paul Moss from Darlington was unable to take the start after the engine of his Citroen Saxo seized in qualifying, which has put an end to his 2008 championship challenge, along with Marcos Mantis driver Colin Simpson, who broke his eighth gearbox this season.

Championship front runners David Cox, from Darlington, and Hartlepool's Gavin Lee, finished 11th and 14th respectively having raced closely with cars from outside their classes. Hartlepool driver Mick Starkey was leading in a Class D fight when he made a mistake and spun at the hairpin losing about ten seconds in the process.

Heighington's Malcolm Turnbull had a trip into the gravel on the third lap where his Triumph TR6 stalled and wouldn't restart, thereby ending his race.

With the last two rounds of the season set for next weekend at Darlington & District Motor Club's meeting at Croft, the race for the championship is as close as ever with both Cox and Lee having to start the Sunday race in order to decide who will be the 2008 champion, the final margin could be as close as one point.

● With the Tour of Hamsterley cancelled due to a lack of entries, there was little rally action last weekend leaving The Richard Burns Memorial Rally, which was run by the Kings Lynn & District Motor Club, as the only event with any local participation.

The event, which was held at RAF Marham in Norfolk, was aimed to celebrate the life and achievements of England's only World Rally Champion. The single- venue tarmac rally featured eight stages, with distances ranging between ten and 14 miles.

Keith Davison, of Stockton, and Ripon co-driver Henry Richardson made the journey down but unfortunately, the pair began to suffer problems when the clutch of their Darrian T90 began to slip one mile from the end of the first stage.

The first nine miles saw the pair catching the Subaru Impreza in front, who was seeded in fifth place, but with half a mile to the end of the first stage, the pair had to retire due to a broken clutch.

● British rally champion Guy Wilks, from Heighington, is in a race against time to land a seat with the Subaru World Rally Team for 2009. And he needs Britain to back him.

Guy is appealing for all British rally fans, motor clubs, businesses, in fact everyone who shares a passion for the sport, to get involved in the Wilks 500 Club investment and sponsorship scheme.

Subaru have said that Guy would receive equal machinery to Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson if the Wilks 500 Club can raise the finance to secure a third seat in the team next year.

Details are available at www.guywilks.com.

●Tuesday night will see the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club hosting a special Triumph evening when the guests will be the MAP Embassy Team of British Supersport Championship leader and current National Superstock Champion Glen Richards and fellow Australian Paul Young, the highly experienced former British Superbike Cup Champion.

Continuing the international theme, they will be joined by the team's South African front-runner in the National Superstock 600 series, Allan Jon Ventor and also on stage will be the club's own Triumph competitor Joe Ackroyd from Harrogate, fresh from a career-best fifth at the Croft Superstock 600 event.

The venue is Northallerton Football Club in Romanby and the chat show starts at 8.15. Admission is £3, £2 to members, and for more details call 01423- 780624 or visit the club's website at www.nyrrsc.net.

● Any motorsport news?

Email larry@cartersport.com.