A YOUNG North Yorkshire motorcycle racer is planning to take on some of the best young riders in the country after taking delivery of a brand new Yamaha 600 in order to contest the inaugural 2001 British Junior Superstock Championship.

James Brackenbury, a 17-year-old trainee motor mechanic from Leyburn, plans to race in all 13 rounds of the series, which takes place at major circuits up and down the country as a support event to the hugely popular British Superbike Championship.

The series is open to riders under the age of 21 who will ride road going based bikes up to 600cc with only minor modifications and is seen as a vital stepping stone to racing at a higher level.

Already the Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki works teams have pledged their support and will be fielding some of the country's top up and coming riders when the series kicks off at Donington Park on April 1.

Backed by his father Colyn, James started competing in mini-moto racing back in 1998 with considerable success on both solos and sidecars. He won the North East Solo Challenge that year and the World Minibike Sidecar Championship the following year.

Having got a taste for speed and success, the team made the step up to road racing in 2000 armed with an Aprilia 125 for James to learn his trade in the Superteen Challenge.

Not only did James have to contend with learning the circuits and how to set up the new machine, he had to come to terms with racing in front of 30,000 crowds as some of the races were held at the British Superbike Championship meetings.

Undeterred, Brackenbury went about the task in a professional manner, scoring regular finishes before a trio of 16th places (just outside the all important points) set him up for the final race at Donington Park last October.

All was looking good for James when he qualified in a fantastic fifth place, only for him to be brought down on the very first corner in the race when another rider crashed.

Despite the disappointment, the team set about their plans for 2001 in a positive frame of mind. As well as once more registering for the revamped 24-round Aprilia RS125 Challenge, they have also set their targets on the Junior Superstock series, which poses a bigger test for James.

Already the team has secured some local backing, including Scott Leathers at Barnard Castle, and is hoping to recruit some additional funding.

Leyburn fire fighter and team manager Colyn Brackenbury explained: "We're putting together a budget in order to contest the full British Junior Superstock Championship now that we have bought the bike.

"It isn't cheap to race at this level, but we are determined to be as competitive as our funds will allow and we hope to secure additional backing before the start of the season.

We have the option to race the Automoto Aprilia again, but if at all possible we'd prefer to be racing aboard the Yamaha R6 in front of the big crowds at British Championship level.