HAMPSHIRE motorcycle road race fans get a close-up of one of their up-and-coming young stars in the British Sports Production Championship at Thruxton on Sunday week.

Elliot Burgess, runner-up in last season's European Super Mono Series, wheels out a Ducati 748 twin which he has powered to fourth in the 600cc category of the popular new production class.

The 25-year-old Alresford racer has a best finish of third at Mondello Park in Ireland, and is looking to at least emulate that on his home circuit.

"I won a clubman's race at Thruxton a few years ago," he reveals, "and I hoped to ride in a British Superbike race there two years ago, but didn't even get to the line because of an engine blow up.

"Last year I went back to Thruxton to ride in the Aprillia Challenge, but we didn't have a very competitive package.

"I'm about 20 points behind the third rider in the championship, so I will have to finish no lower than a second and a third in the two races."

Burgess had his best year in racing in 1998 when he rode MUZ's for the Kent-based Slipstream Racing team and brilliantly won two European SuperMono races.

His performances drew interest from private teams in the British Superbike Championship but Burgess's budget limited him to trying his hand at the new Production Championship.

But, with races few and far between in the eight-venue series, Burgess finds he's not racing as much as he would like and he's planning on taking a major change of direction in 2000.

There's a chance that he might link up again with the Slipstream team where there are two possible options - to ride an R6 Yamaha in the British SuperSport 600cc Championship or a new 250 Yamaha in the British Championship.

Burgess is having talks with the team and admits: "If one or both those possibilites were to materialise, I would be back in business racing-wise. I feel I've been in limbo this year."

The Hampshire ace has the chance to put himself in the shop window for the Super/Sport class when he rides Bowolf Racing's Suzuki in two end-of-season rounds at Brands Hatch and Donington.

He also hopes to have an outing on his old friend the MUZ in a nostalgic return to European SuperMono when the championship moves to the South of France for the last round.

Burgess has been helping another Hampshire rider, 19-year-old Ian Hopcroft, launch his road-racing career this summer.

The Alton youngster has been riding in the CB500 Cup which is one of the sup-port races at Thruxton on Sunday. "Ian's got nerves of steel and he's definitely one for the future," says Burgess.

"I watched him at Silverstone recently and he went from 14th to sixth place in just four laps. He's been running top ten in the CB500Cup and I wouldn't be surprised to see him going even better at Thruxton."

Another popular Hampshire racer, last year's Manx GP winner Chris Hook, will be involved in the Honda Hornet Cup race at Thurxton.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.