They breed 'em tough in Bursledon.

Gareth Padgett is just eight-years-old yet he's qualified for the national finals of the BSMA Nationals in Exeter - with a broken hand!

Gareth went on to take 24th place and had he been fit, the tiny scrambles racer would have finished a lot higher.

He splintered a bone in his left hand when he fell off during a training day with former British champion Dave Thorpe but insisted on riding at Exeter although his mum Alison said: "He had to keep backing off. It probably cost him a top ten finish."

Back in the summer Gareth took third place overall in the Portsmouth Schoolboy Scramble Club's Junior 65 Championship.

Last month at West Meon he became the youngest and the only 65cc rider to do the 13-metre down-

hill double jump on his way to second overall on the day.

When Portsmouth SSC held their

presentation event at Southampton Guildhall, Gareth received his trophy from his local hero Billy Mackenzie who rode the UK Team Yamaha to second place in the British 125 Championship.

With another two years left in the junior 65cc group Gareth has secured sponsorship from Eastleigh MotoCross Centre for next season.

One of the biggest influences in Gareth taking up the sport was Southampton's legend bike race and builder Len Harfield who lived next door but died recently. "Despite the gap in their ages they would spend hours talking about bikes." says his mum. "Len gave him a lot of help and encouragement."

n Justin Keen is just back from Barcelona where he has been testing for the Arden team with a view to a possible drive in the European Formula 3000 Championship in 2003.

The 26-year-old New Forest racer raised a few eyebrows among the hierarchy with his performances in a Minardi towards the end of last season.

Keen achieved two successive top ten finishes in Hungary and Belgium in the F3000 races which supported the respective Grand Prix events.

Then he went to Monza and from the back of the grid powered past seven drivers before mechanical problems put him out on lap five.