MOTORBIKE ace Richard Harrison has just won his first national championship, but can't take his bike on the road.

The 23-year-old Darlington rider, who has just returned from winning the National Honda Championships at Castle Combe, has never sat his bike test because he believes the roads are too dangerous to ride a bike on.

"My dad used to race bikes and he taught me and my brother everything we needed to know," he told the D&S Times.

"I have never passed a bike test and I have never ridden a bike on the roads. It's far too dangerous out there. Just look at the idiots you get on the roads."

His career began when dad Stephen bought a Yamaha TY 80 as a joint Christmas present for him and his brother Jonathan.

Riding around on wasteland near their home, they learned all the basic skills before moving on to motocross bikes and hair-raising off-road rides.

But the speed bug began to bite when he was only knee high to a kickstart.

The former Hummersknott School pupil said: "I was born straight into it. From an early age I was taken along to race meets with my dad, and I would hang around the race paddocks.

"I always wanted a motorbike and I always wanted to race. For a while I competed in motocross events, but my heart was set on road racing."

In 1997 he bought his first road bike, a Yamaha TZ 125, and began competing in club championships.

Three years ago he bagged the North East Motorcycle Racing Club CB500 cup and two weeks ago he picked up the National Championships New Era MCC Superclub CB500 cup, sponsored by Honda.

Last weekend, despite a further three rounds remaining, he achieved the number one slot in both the Sound of Thunder and the Formula 500cc classes in the Auto 66 Club Championships because of his unbeatable lead in the tables.

Harrison has decided to take part in the final rounds of the championships next month for fun, before going off to Bolton College to train to be a sports teacher.

"I would like to be a successful international racer and when I've finished the course I want to give racing another go," he said. "I've now got to secure a bike and a sponsor for next year."

"But if it doesn't pan out I will always have my teaching qualification to fall back on."