SOUTHAMPTON'S top rider John Crockford is taking a year out of motor cycle road-racing to pursue a new career as a racing instructor.

Crockford has joined Poole-based frontrow.GB.com to headline track days for riders wanting to graduate from club to national Championship standard racing.

The former runner-up in the National Super-stock Championship said: "There are plenty of people around who do their own track days and can instruct riders to the first level of club racing but not to take them to the next stage.

"That's where I come in. When I was moving up as a rider, it was a tough learning curve - very hit and miss.

"I coached Tommy Hill in the year he won the Yamaha R6 Cup, so it's something I knew I can do."

Crockford took his first class at Albercete recently and has more at Mondello, Cataluna and Estoril during the season.

"I'll be teaching in the days following race meetings when there's a captive audience and potential customers can stop over for a few extra days of tuition."

If he'd had his wish, Crockford would still have been racing, but a rider who has distinguished himself in Superbike, Supersport and Superstock racing can't muster enough sponsorship in the area to keep his career going.

Even the chance of a semi works ride with the MSS Kawasaki team in the British Supersport Championship had to be turned down because he couldn't bring in the budget.

Crockford, who married last year and whose wife is expecting their first baby later this month, has also been influenced by the terrible accident that almost claimed the life of his friend Jamie Morley at Brands Hatch last June.

Waterlooville-based Morley is thankfully back home and walking with the aid of a stick again after suffering multiple injuries when he was hit by another bike at Brands.

Crockford said: "It opened my eyes to the risks of the sport and I decided it wasn't worth sticking my neck out on uncompetitive machinery any more."

There's a chance, though, that Crockford might accept a one-off ride, particularly at his home course at Thruxton, where he has won many times in the past.