WATCH manager Neil Hiscock is swopping his white fireman’s helmet for a racing skidlid as he plans to contest the British Sidecar Cross Championship.

Trowbridge firefighter Hiscock, along with passenger Steve Baughan, have spent the winter months developing their 700cc Zabel outfit in readiness for the opening round of the national championship on Sunday.

Former engineer Hiscock and passenger Baughan, a welder, have used their combined skills in building and developing the sidecar to contest both the British championship and the British clubman’s series.

The pair - both have been competing in forms of bike racing - for nearly 30 years, teamed up over a decade ago in sidecar cross.

Hiscock said: “The first time I ever rode a motocross sidecar outfit it was such a surge of adrenalin that I knew this was the sport for me.”

“Now we are contesting at this level in the sport we have had to upgrade the machine, including special gas-filled shock absorbers to deal with the tough circuits.”

The duo have attracted the interest of an American company Spectro Oil, that will be lubricating their highly- tuned machine With support from Burnout Bikes, of Downton near Salisbury, the duo are planning to travel the country, taking part in seven rounds of the competition, at times taking them as far north as Cumbria.

The opening round of the British Championship is the pair’s local event at Asham Woods, near Frome.

The race aces plan to take their sidecar cross to Farleigh Castle in August, the track used in the world motocross Grand Prix of the 1980s.