Five times world champion Dougie Lampkin was pushed to the limit before a grandstand finish earned him the Embassy World Indoor Trials Championship for an incredible seventh year in a row at the Sheffield Arena.

And Lampkin's nail-biting victory, in front of 8,000 fanatical fans, completed a magnificent week for the 25-year-old motorcycle trials superstar from Silsden, after he received an MBE in the New Year's Honours list.

The Embassy World Indoor Trials Championship is the first round of the 2002 FIM World Indoor Trials Championship Series that will see the world's greatest riders compete in ten events in seven different countries.

Lampkin, the No 1 seed, defending champion and the overall World Indoor and World Outdoor Trial champion for the last five years, had to battle all the way in the four man final and, with just two Sections remaining, was trailing Spain's 21-year-old sensation, Marc Freixa, by a single point.

But Freixa, who was also second last year, incurred a five point penalty at the start of section six and Lampkin, roared on by the sell-out crowd, dropped just two points to take the lead by two points.

They both completed Section Seven - the waterfall - without any penalty points and they both then cleared the high jump with plenty of room to spare.

As the tension mounted, that left the last two head-to-head races and it was an inspired Lampkin who won both heats to finish with 15 points - four points clear of a brave and shattered Freixa. Another 21-year-old Spanish rider, Albert Cabestany, was third with 22 points.

A relieved Lampkin, who now lives on the Isle of Man, punched the air in delight as he acknowledged the cheers of the crowd after the final race.

He said: "That was the hardest of my seven wins at Sheffield. I ended up shattered but absolutely delighted. In the final, Marc put the pressure on me from the word go.

"I just had to dig deep to stay with him because he was riding so well.

"Last year, I was always in control but it was much, much tougher this time. As the pressure increased, we both failed to complete section five but then Marc made the mistake at the start of section six that gave me the chance I needed.

"I could hear the crowd willing me on and I knew I had to make it count. I only dropped two points to go in front and I managed to hang on to the end.

"Marc was brilliant and he could be the rider who pushes me throughout the season. To collect the MBE and then to win at Sheffield for the seventh year in a row makes this one of the greatest weeks of my sporting life."

In the qualifying round, the riders had ten minutes to complete the seven highly-testing sections before taking part in the high jump and two head-to-head races.

It was one of the most demanding courses seen at Sheffield as Lampkin led the qualifying round with 17 points, nine points clear of Freixa.