Tony Atkin, Newport Wasps speedway captain, turned his hand to yet another two-wheel sport - new to Britain - and if asked he'll appear in another short-track meeting.

Atkin, a former grass-track rider, both solo and sidecar, took part in the third round of the United Kingdom short-track championship at the Hayley Stadium on Saturday evening and, on a borrowed bike, won a qualifying heat to reach the semi-finals.

He said: "Apart from the fact that I had trouble with the machine misfiring I quite enjoyed it. I would try it again. It was something different and the people who attended enjoyed themselves. I didn't have a very good bike and when it was misfiring I decided to withdraw."

And there were no complaints from Lincolnshire-based Peter Boast, one of the driving forces behind launching the sport in Great Britain, the racing already a big hit in the United States and other European countries.

He said: "The meeting went very well. The crowd wasn't very good but it's a brand-new sport. Those who attended were very vocal and seemed to enjoy themselves, and the quad bikes also produced superb racing.

"I was very pleased with everything - particularly that we got everything finished before it was dark."

Tim Stone, Newport speedway promoter, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the racing and you certainly couldn't complain about the standards. And for Newport speedway fans there was a heat win for Tony, which was good considering he was not on his own bike.

"People I spoke to all enjoyed it. It isn't speedway, so therefore it cannot be compared with the sport, in the same way that ice speedway and long track cannot be compared with speedway. It is a different discipline - a new sport and very enjoyable, and so too was the quad-bike racing."

Boast, a former speedway rider, added: "I would like to thank Tim for giving us a chance in Wales. His response was good and I think he will see us here again next year and I hope those people who came along will spread the word."

But the sport could be back in Wales in January - at the Millennium Stadium - which is hosting a motorcycle event, and short-track racing could be part of the two-day event in January.

And there was also praise all round for start marshall Ken Petherick, who stepped in at the last minute.

Italian Marco Belli, who won the two previous rounds of the United Kingdom championship, didn't have things all his own way on this occasion. He suffered a fall in one race and had to settle for third place in the grand final, which was dominated by Lincolnshire riders, Tim Greig (Market Rasen) winning the event, with Adam Marshall (Horncastle) in second place. Boast was placed fourth. However, Rossi, now off to America for a dirt-track event, is still the overall leader.

The quad-bike final was won by Adrian Smith, of Peterborough, with Kidderminster's Lee Hazelwood in second place, and third was George Penfold, of Ashford, Kent.