CONGRATULATIONS to nine-year-old Emma Smith from Stoven who took part in her first mountain bike race on Sunday at Thetford Forest - the second round of the Mud Sweat and Gears Mountain Bike Race series that takes place over six events in the region.

CONGRATULATIONS to nine-year-old Emma Smith from Stoven who took part in her first mountain bike race on Sunday at Thetford Forest - the second round of the Mud Sweat and Gears Mountain Bike Race series that takes place over six events in the region.

Competing against older and much more experienced riders, Emma got off to a steady start before overhauling those in front of her over the course of nine laps of a demanding loop on single-track trails through the woodland, to win the U12 girls' race by over a minute to the nearest competitor.

This was also good enough to see her finish a fantastic seventh overall, just one second off sixth.

A pupil at Brampton Primary School, Emma is now in training for the rest of the series, which she hopes to dominate in the same fashion.