Dale eyeing up a top five place in motocross series

Having won the Junior Veterans Over-40 Championship by 150 points last season, he’s hoping to be competitive when competing against 34 other riders in this year’s 10-round series on his trusty Honda CR250.

He is fourth overall in his championship after two rounds and said of his step-up: “It’s a lot more competitive because the riders are a lot faster this year, but my lap times have improved by 13 seconds from last year, so it’s going well.”

His main sponsor is Shrewsbury-based caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure where he has worked as a touring caravan engineer for eight years.

Childs, 48, has been a motocross rider since the age of 16, but had two breaks from the sport, the last time when he broke his back.

“I would like to finish in the top five,” he said. “I have a reasonable chance provided I ride in every round, but it all comes down to money. It costs £40 for each round plus fuel, the price of which has gone through the roof.

“Salop Leisure have been sponsoring me for six years and chairman Tony Bywater is very supportive. He has even been to watch me racing. They are a good company to work for because they look after their staff.”

Mr Bywater said: “As a company, we like to support our employees wherever we can and we also sponsor many sports clubs and leagues in Shropshire.

“We were delighted when Dale won his championship last season and he carries our best wishes thus year when he will be competing at a higher level.”