James Smith stands firm in second place in the national NETT Quad championship after three rounds.

The haulage contractor from Lothersdale raced his Honda machine to win two out of three qualifying races at sunny Knockhill in central Scotland on Saturday afternoon then drove to Drumclog, near Kilmarnock, for the third qualifier where he again scored well with another double victory.

But despite picking up four wins his weekend had been dogged by problems. In the first race at Knockhill he had been challenging for the lead when he clipped the trackside fence and was brought to a halt when yards of rope wrapped round the rear axle.

After his first two wins at Drumclog he was also expecting to take another victory when the bearings on his rear axle broke forcing him to pull out of the event

He has scored enough points now to be on track to win the NETT Support Championship this year if leader Martin Lord of Rochdale falters in any way.

James took up the quad sport after racing on two wheels for a season.

"I came off a number of times and injured both my knees. I decided the four-wheel machines might stay upright a bit longer," he said.

Despite launching his four wheel career in the early summer he has already enjoyed considerable success and is aiming to win the championship at his first attempt.

This week he was rebuilding the machine, fitting a new bearing to the rear axle and stripping down the engine ready to make a new challenge on the top of the table.

"I've already had great support from Buzzie Lizzie's fish restaurant in Skipton who have sponsored my racing trailer and KIK Racing in Clitheroe who helped with modifications to the bike," he said.

The next round in the series is on Sunday (5th August) at Castleside, near Tow Law, in County Durham where Smith will again be battling head-to-head with the current championship leader.