THE foot-and-mouth crisis has opened the way for a young Aiskew motorcyclist to make his mark on the speedway circuit.

While the impact of the disease on the countryside has left Richard Hall (pictured above) and his parents with two relatively new grass track machines which are unlikely to turn a wheel in the foreseeable future, they hope a new career will develop for the 16-year-old who began riding when he was still at primary school.

Foot-and-mouth struck the grass track racing world only a few months after Richard, of Holly Road, Aiskew, began riding in adult competitions in August last year, competing against older and more experienced rivals.

He obtained his national riders' licence after only seven adult races.

His parents bought two new motorcycles to prepare him for his adult career, but the AutoCycle Union then banned grass track riding across farm land because of foot-and-mouth and the organisation advised Richard not to travel to Germany for a test day in March this year.

The only grass track event he has been able to attend this year has been on the spring bank holiday Sunday, at a privately-owned circuit in Collier Street, Kent.

Richard, who has made his championship mark in sand racing as well as grass track, was fascinated by motorcycle sport from an early age and his parents, John and Anne, have spent thousands of pounds on equipment and machines.

They bought him his first motorcycle in 1994 and he rode it when and wherever it was legally possible.

He had his first sand race in the same year, at the age of nine, and over the next six years he travelled to venues all over the country for races on both sand and grass. He was British junior sand champion in his first season in 1996.

In 1997, in the intermediate class, he was one of eight British youths who represented Britain in international grass track races, coming 11th overall, and also won the British intermediate sand racing championships.

His most successful season was 1998, when he became British intermediate sand racing champion for the second year running, won the ACU national grass track challenge and, with a friend, Lee Complin, took the British best pairs grass track.

Despite mechanical problems at the start of the 1999 season, he was runner-up in the British intermediate sand racing championships and fourth in the British grass track championships.

The expense involved in racing can be gauged from the Halls' projected budget for this year, showing a total of £23,294 for preparation of machines, special clothing, running costs and repairs to machines, entry fees and insurance and travelling expenses. Two new grass track machines alone cost a total of £15,000.

Richard's main sponsors are his parents, but he has also had financial help from Carricks of Snape, Dawkins of Bedale, Malcolm Hudson Transport, Waddingtons, Hambleton sports council, JDM Construction and Mr Barney Clark. Local farmer Mr Charlie Fall lent him a field where he could practise.

After foot-and-mouth hit grass track events Richard, who works as a steel construction engineer with his father, received offers to ride at speedway circuits in Glasgow, Berwick and Newcastle on a freelance basis, but a new machine was needed.

A Jawa 500 capable of up to 80mph now stands in his parents' garage and the grass track bikes may eventually be sold.

Richard has already ridden for Newcastle juniors at Workington and could eventually join a team.

His father, who once formed a motorcycle sidecar racing partnership with Mick Dawkins, of Bedale, said: ''A grass track machine cannot be adapted for speedway because they are totally different bikes for different purposes.''

He added: ''The expense of speedway is totally different but, although you get paid on a points basis, you still need some sponsorship.

"Speedway gets televised and we hope that this is where Richard can really get noticed.''