Ray Rowson and Alex Snow take MMX Little Silver victories

The domestic motocross season kicked off on Sunday with the first championship rounds of 2008 – not the full-blown titles, but the still eagerly contested MMX Under 21 and Open championships, with the welcome addition this year of a Ladies title, too.

Last year’s Under 21 champion, Ray Rowson, made a superb transition to the Open class by tying on points for the overall with last year’s Open champion Wayne Smith.

Newly signed to the PAR Honda team, the Shropshire youngster was on the pace of the more experienced Smith, and only by claiming the second moto victory did the wily North-Easterner take the overall win.

Also on board with a new team for 2008, Wayne Smith seems to have had no problems adjusting to his Pioneer Yamaha. A little further down the field, Oliver Sandiford-Smith brought home the new CCM in an admirable 14th.

In the Under 21s, the race to replace Ray Rowson as champion is currently headed by Alex Snow. The 19-year-old left Little Silver with a commanding 12 point lead over Joe Dark, but his closest rival at the moment might well be Kristian Whately – son of former GP contender Jem, Kristian led Alex until the last lap of moto two, the pair crossing the finish line half a minute clear of the field.

The Ladies championship has every sign of being a one-horse race at the moment. Natalie Kane just destroyed the field to win the first race by almost 40 seconds and the second by an astonishing two minutes.

Second and third places in the standings are taken by Louise Williams and Hannah McLeod, with Kerry Wilson ninth after taking second in the first moto, but failing to scoring in the second.

British Open Championship
Round 1, Little Silver
1 Wayne Smith
2 Ray Rowson 
3 Mark Hucklebridge

British Under 21 Championship
1 Alex Snow
2 Joseph Dark
3 Kristen Whatley

British Ladies Championship
1 Natalie Kane
2 Louise Williams
3 Hannah McLeod