There will be US-style dirt track racing excitement aplenty at the South Tees Motor Park just outside Middlesbrough on Saturday 29th. March when the Silkolene Short Track UK national championship series returns to the Redcar Bears' Speedway circuit.

Following a hugely successful and much acclaimed event held there last August, the South Tees Motor Park stages Round One of this prestigious championship - with the gates open at 4.30pm.

Short Track derives from the USA's most popular form of motor cycle racing, Flattrrack; and as a discipline across the States, Europe and down-under it's been the breeding ground over the years for motor sports legends like Kenny Roberts, Nicky Hayden and current MotoGP world champ, Australia's Casey Stoner.

The local Speedway club's Team Manager, Glyn Taylor knows all about this form of dirt track from his own racing days in his homeland; and the one-time Australian international is set to thrill Bears' fans on Saturday (29/3) by making a track racing return in the STUK event!

With Short Track (officially Europe's fastest growing motor sport) having such a pedigree in breeding champs for other forms of motorcycling too, it's little wonder that the region's most versatile racer, Northallerton's Rusty Hodgson has committed himself to the 2008 series too.

The 2007 Bear is incredibly popular at the South Tees Motor Park having stared for both the Cleveland Bays and then stepped up with the Bears in the past two seasons.  Yet with work commitments taking him down south and into Europe for much of this coming summer, the Short Track event is very likely to be Rusty's only appearance racing on the Redcar track this year.

The one-time roadracer, who starred in the R6 Cup before shattering his foot in an accident in 2005 explains, "I've got a job installing outward-bound courses and this is literally going to take me around the world during 2008. I actually need to fly in all the way from Portugal  - where I'll have been up in the trees building an ab-seiling framework - for Saturday's event at Redcar!  But I'm serious about challenging for this title and am receiving fantastic backing from Dynomax and CCM and will be delighted to be racing at the Motor Park again."

The fact that the high-flying, third generation Bear (both his father and grandfather rode for Middlesbrough Speedway) is making such a commitment to return home for the event is sure to bring out a sizeable number of Bears and Cubs' followers; as will the competitive debut in this event of one of British Speedway's most heralded young talents, Aidan Collins: son of former Belle Vue rider and once World Championship runner-up, Les Collins.

Other names to look out for are the twice, STUK champion and European master at the sport, Italian Marco Belli: mounted this year on a CCM; along with his hugely exciting fellow countryman, Harley-rider Jacopo Monti; reigning Thunderbikes champ (the Thunderbikes division seeing truly monstrously-sized bikes up to multi-cylindered 1200ccs, thrown into the steeply banked bends of the Redcar circuit in a spectacle not to be missed), Peter Boast; plus multi-grasstrack national champion, North Yorkshire's Paul Cooper.

The Welbourns Short Track Quads proved one of the biggest attractions back in August. This brand of four-wheeled action is not only the opportunity to see such machines racing on the Speedway circuit (adjacent, of course, as it is to the home of Quad Bike events here in the north-east); but is a truly unique form of Quad dirttrtack seeing six riders a race, face-off in a grid-style start which provides a huge amount of passing and breathtaking excitement.  All the country's top Quads stars will be in action including reigning national champion, Alan Hooker from Lincolnshire.

The admission is £10.00 for adults, £7.00 for pensioners and other concessions; with children aged 12 to 15 years of age, £3 and younger than 12 (provided accompanied by an adult) having free admission.  The action gets underway at 4.30pm with the Quads and the qualifying races for the main STUK event, the Thunderbikes and also the CCM  Junior Shorttrack Cup - for racers aged between 12 and 15 years of age.  All the finals and the superb new 18 heat knock-out style format for the Short Track UK championship will start at 7pm.  In all, over four-and-a-half hours of motor sport action is guaranteed - making this a must-see event for the whole family.