A RYEDALE motorcyclist faces the toughest ride of his life when he competes in the first leg of the 2002 European Championships.

Johnny Wardle, from Malton, is part of a three-man British team travelling to France next month.

The 23-year-old, who is currently the East Yorkshire and North of England Expert 125cc Champion, will clock up more than 300 miles in the two-day event.

Riders compete with each other against the clock over rough terrain.

And winners in the first leg will go on to competitions in Poland and Hungary before facing the three-day finals in Italy in November.

Johnny, who began riding field bikes when he was 13 and is a member of Ryedale Motor Club, said he hoped his present winning streak held up.

He said: "I've had two good results with the new bike so far, coming second at Driffield and overall winner at Scarborough, and I hope they carry on.

"I want to try and run with the top few, I just hope my results stay consistent."

Despite this being the club's first full season, fellow motorcyclists Mike Seward, from Wigginton, and Neil Boyd, from Redcar, also hope to prove themselves a winning team at this high level of competition.

Updated: 12:25 Wednesday, March 27, 2002