BRITAIN'S premier motor sport series makes an historic first visit to the race-starved North-East when round ten of the THINK! British Superbike Championship rolls into Croft circuit near Darlington this weekend.

The region has never before hosted a round of the series and with the 2004 title chase hotting up, the action is sure to be fast and furious as a host of world class riders on the very latest factory machinery battle it out over two races around the 2.1-mile former wartime airfield.

Leading the series by a comfortable 73 points is Nottingham veteran John Reynolds on his Rizla Suzuki, but the double champion knows that HM Plant Honda Racing rider Michael Rutter from Leicester will be planning to cut the gap after six races without a rostrum.

Maidstone-born, but now living in York, Scott Smart will be hoping for further success on his Hawk Kawasaki, while crowd favourite Yukio Kagayama from Japan (Rizla Suzuki) and MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett from London proved they will be the men to beat following last week's official test at the circuit when they were the two fastest riders.

Virgin Mobile Samsung Yamaha field four riders, with James Haydon of Amersham and London teenager Tommy Hill expected to go well on the R1s along with Lichfield's Gary Mason and Lincolnshire ace Steve Plater.

Aussie Dean Thomas is riding for the Leeds-based Sendo Dienza Ducati team, while Paul Brown makes a comeback after two years riding for the Scottish ETI Ducati team.

Local interest centres around the two leading riders in the supporting Superbike Cup for non-supported riders, with Kendal's James Ellison (Yamaha) leading the championship ahead of Croft specialist Dennis Hobbs (Suzuki) from Guisborough.

However, Hobbs is fighting to be fit for his local meeting having been injured in testing last week and faces a race against time to make the grid.

Six-times TT winner John McGuinness and Australian Glen Richards should also feature for Hawk Kawasaki, with the truly international flavour cemented by the inclusion of former Japanese champion Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) and Australian Superbike champion Craig Coxhell (Vitrans Honda).

Yorkshireman Karl Harris (HM Plant Honda) leads the British Supersport series ahead of Ulsterman Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati), with former GP stars Jay Vincent (Padgett's Honda) and Spaniard Pere Riba (MSS Kawasaki) also in with a shout.

Nuneaton rider Tristan Palmer leads the British Superstock Championship on his Suzuki, while Cheshire rider Christian Elkin heads the table in the 125cc GP class.

Londoner Richard Wren leads the Yamaha R6 Cup and is well on course to land the Superbike ride for next season, while East Anglian Simon Wright heads the Superstock Cup class.

Local riders to watch out for include Middlesbrough's Paul Veazey aboard his JR Motosport Yamaha in the Supersport race and Knaresborough rider Danny Linfoot in the 125cc class.

Also in action will be Chester le Street's David Bell and Darlington rider Richie Harrison in the Superstock Cup race tomorrow.

Admission costs £5 per adult today, £12 tomorrow and £25 on Sunday, which includes access to the paddock. Accompanied children under 15 are admitted free and grandstand seating is sold out. For more details call Croft circuit on 01325 721815.

Timetable. - Tomorrow: 9.30-9.55 National Superstock Cup qualifying 1; 10.05-10.45 British Supersport qualifying 1; 10.55-11.45 British Superbikes qualifying 1; 11.55-12.20 Yamaha R6 Cup free practice; 12.30-12.55 National Superstock Cup qualifying 2; 1.55-2.20 British 125cc qualifying 2; 2.30-3.10 British Supersport qualifying 2; 3.20-4.10 British Superbike qualifying 2; 4.20 National Superstock Cup race 1 (15 laps); 4.45-5.10 National Superstock c'ship qualifying 2; 5.20-5.45 Yamaha R6 Cup qualifying.

Sunday: 10-11am pit lane walkabout; 12.05-12.15 British Superbike warm-up; 12.25-12.35 British Supersport warm-up; 1.15 British Superbike race 2 (22 laps); 2.05 Yamaha R6 Cup race 3 (15 laps); 2.50 British Supersport race 4 (20 laps); 3.45 British Superbike race 5 (22 laps); 4.35 National Superstock race 6 (18 laps); 5.15 British 125cc race 7 (16 laps).

* The annual BSB Teams v Media football match, sponsored by Croft circuit and taking place at Northallerton Town FC tonight, has attracted plenty of interest.

Tyne Tees TV sports reporter Andy Kerr and former BBC commentator Barry Nutley are the latest to sign up and they will join the likes of Superbike aces Sean Emmett, James Ellison and Dennis Hobbs in the game under floodlights.

All proceeds will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and kick-off at Ainderby Road is at 7.45. The match will be followed by a presentation, raffle and auction.

l Heighington rally driver Guy Wilks saw his hopes of landing the Junior World Rally Championship take a severe knock when he was forced to retire from last weekend's Rally of Finland on the opening day.

Along with Welsh co-driver Phil Pugh, the Acropolis Rally winner went into the rally lying second overall in the championship standings. Wilks was looking forward to the ultra-fast event having made his name there last year by finishing third in an old car outclassed by more modern opposition.

But this time his rally got off to an uncertain start after problems with the brakes on the opening stage. That provoked a half-spin on SS2, but a worse fate awaited him on SS7 when he was forced into retirement.

The 23-year-old Suzuki Ignis driver, who is now eight points behind the series leader, said: "Finland is a real driver's event, which is why I am so bitterly disappointed to retire. We had a few little problems over the opening loop of stages, but I thought we could come back from them in order to do well here.

"We were settling into quite a comfortable pace when suddenly the back of the car broke loose, exactly like a puncture and pitched us off the road, but we'll have to wait to find out exactly what caused it".

The Junior World Rally Championship resumes in a month's time on the Rally Great Britain from September 17-19. The event, won by Suzuki last year, is being held in autumn for the first time, which means that conditions should be notably different to how they were in the grip of winter.

* Yarm racing driver Bill Addison continued his recent good form by posting a pair of seventh place finishes in the Caterham Roadsports B Championship at Silverstone last week.

Having qualified in sixth place, Addison was left floundering on the grid in race one when he made a poor start and had to battle his way up from 13th before challenging the leading bunch.

It was a similar story in race two as he battled with the leaders and he ended up setting the second fastest lap of the race.

The action moves on to Snetterton in a month's time, when Addison will be looking to improve on his seventh place in the series standings.

l Darlington road racer Richie Harrison continued his quest for honours at the two-day Derby Phoenix club meeting held at Cadwell Park last weekend.

Aboard his 1000cc HBR Yamaha, Harrison posted third place in the 1300cc allcomers heat race before taking ninth in the final to add to 12th and ninth place finishes in the 1300cc four stroke races on Saturday.

Sunday saw him finish fifth in the 1300cc allcomers heat and eighth in the 1300cc four stroke race before a broken chain put him out of action in the 1300cc final