By Carly Rathmell
January 3 2006

Multi-talented British Superbike star Steve Plater, from Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, tested his hand at a new sport at the weekend. Plater, who secured an impressive third position at the final round of the British Superbike Championships, at Brands Hatch, attained an impressive sixth position in the Shorttrack event held at Scunthorpe Speedway Circuit.

The new bike craze to hit the shores of the UK originated in the USA, where such names as Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Kevin Schwantz all competed in this fast and entertaining sport. In its début year in the United Kingdom, Shorttrack racing is becoming the new bike racing phenomenon, with a combination of Motocross and Speedway rolled into one. In 2006 a ten-round series will take place across the United Kingdom - keep up to speed with the progress on the shorttrackuk.com website for further details.

Plater was riding the first Flat Track bike to be built in Britain, the CCM FT35R (www.ccm-motorcycles.net) - along with his team-mate Andy Moore who races Speedway for Eastbourne in the Elite League. Moore had a super day on board the CCM, but sadly had a technical problem in the final whilst lying in third position.

Plater, on the other hand, has not ridden any form of speedway since he was 15-years-old, and was thrown in at the deep end. Commenting, he said, “I only managed to get in ten laps’ practice, three heats which saw me into the semi-final, where I managed to qualify for the final. It was a really good day and a great experience, thanks to CCM, which I throughly made the most of. I’m hoping to compete in a few more races throughout the year around my road racing calendar.”

www.steveplater.com
www.shorttrackuk.com
www.ccm-motorcycles.net