HEYSHAM resident Mal Baird has set himself a real challenge in his first competitive event in motorcycle sport.

For other entrants include eight times World Champion Jim Redman and nine times TT winner Charlie Williams.

"Thundersprint 2000" is an international sprint event for Vintage and Classic bikes built before 1972 being held at the Three Sisters Circuit, Wigan, on Sunday May 7 and will feature machines from 50cc to the massive "Boss Hoss," an 8.2 litre Chevrolet engined superdragster.

Mal, employed as Sales Manager by Kendal Motor Cycles, says that his machine is, however, much more modest. He says "It's been put together over the past twelve months starting with a 1969 Triumph frame I got from a scrap dealer, which has now been modified to take a 1955 Villiers 250cc two stroke engine. You could say I've worked on it a bit, with a lot of help from my friends!"

Practice begins at 10.30am, with racing starting at 1.30pm after a lunch break featuring a flypast by a WW1 Spitfire.