Motor Sport: World indoor and outdoor trials champion title holder Dougie Lampkin dominated the opening round of the world arena trials championship series for the fourth consecutive year at a packed Sheffield Arena.

Some 8,600 screaming fans raised the roof supporting the gritty 22-year-old from Silsden, who took overall top position after setting the standard in the qualifying heats ahead of Isle of Man star Steve Colley (GasGas) and past champion Marc Colomer (Spain).

This puts Lampkin 20 points up in the six-round indoor world series and, more importantly, seven points ahead of Colomer, who is the main challenger to Dougie's supremacy at world level.

The course, devised and built by Dougie's dad Martin, featured six tough sections, the popular 'high jump' and two speed events to decide any ties, but the one that posed the main problem was the Hamilton Cable drums.

Colley nearly came off his machine on the final drop from the top of one of the monster wooden drums.

It was on these that daring Japanese rider Kenichi Kuroyama fell heavily and sustained serious injuries to both wrists.

He took no further part in the contest and remains in Sheffield's Northern General Hospital after overnight operations to pin and plate both wrists, one of which is severely damaged.

Kuroyama - one of the most popular young riders on the international trials circuit and a world trials winner - is team-mate to Lampkin.

Top FIM official Dave Willoughby said the fall was totally unexpected as all sections were constructed with safety being the foremost consideration.

In the grand finale, Lampkin was in a class of his own, losing only four penalties, but the shock result was that of Spaniard David Cobos, who put the brand new Bultaco machine into second place just one month after the Spanish marque had been resurrected after a 20-year absence.

Graham Jarvis did not qualify for the final. Only four go forward, so Jarvis, who lives at Summerbridge, near Harrogate, took 11 world points.

Lampkin and Jarvis ride in a non-championship arena event in Koblenz, Germany, on Saturday night.

The organisers go to great lengths to provide something a little different for the spectators and two years ago they devised a magic carpet ride from the rafters.

Riders had to balance on a moving platform from ceiling to floor.

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