Speedy Silje leaves her rivals trailing

Silje Otte put her name firmly on the motorsport map when she powered to victory in four out five races during the UK Girls' National competition at Maisemore in Gloucestershire.

Otte was rarely troubled by a field containing the UK's best young female racers, winning one race by nearly 30 seconds.

Such was the 17-year-old's domination she also went on to finish fifth in the Bridgestone BSMA Clubman's Series despite being the only girl in the competition.

Otte, who rides a 125cc Husqvarna bike, said: "Riding with the guys in the clubman's series definitely brought me on as a rider and I think this showed in the girls' national at the end.

"I was so nervous because I had built the event up in my mind for a really long time.

"It was the one I wanted to win more than anything else, so to do it was a special feeling."

Otte, who attends Shrewsbury Sixth Form, was born in Denmark and developed an affection for the high-octane world of motocross as an 11 year-old, having arrived in the UK seven years earlier.

Six years on she has continued to make waves within her chosen sport and has regularly beaten several of her male counterparts in a superb first season on the Clubman Series circuit.

The series is seen as a proving ground for young motocross hopefuls and Otte, who competes in the senior section, had been battling it out against a field of almost 40 boys aged 15-18 in a talent-packed division.

Mum Lone admitted to having some nerves before each race but said she was unbelievably proud of her daughter.

She said: "Yes it is scary, especially at the start. My heart is pounding like crazy when I am watching her but she keeps on getting better and better.

"She did have an accident and took a year off the bike but you could tell how much she was missing it.

"The smile you see on her face when she is riding now is such an uplifting sight.

"She absolutely loves it and I couldn't be happier for her. I am unbelievably proud."

Her achievement was all the more impressive after the Heath Farm teenager broke both of her wrists in a motocross accident a few years ago.

Otte rides up to three days a week and trains a further three times a week at Vanity Fitness in Shrewsbury to get her body race-ready.

Her regime also takes in two gruelling boot camps, which work predominantly on improving fitness, as well as a weekly one-on-one weights session with a personal trainer to improve her strength and endurance.

Otte's determination paid off when manufacturer Bridgestone stepped forward to sponsor her for the Gloucestershire meeting, on September 12 and September 13, offering its Battlecross X30 tyres.

Bridgestone development manager Mark Fereday said: "We knew what an amazing talent Silje was but to win the girls national by such a huge margin even surprised us at one point.

"She just kept extending her lead during the races and once she hit the front in race two there was no looking back for her.

"Considering the pressure she puts herself under and the fact that this was the pinnacle of girls' motocross in the UK, Silje's performance was incredible."