MOTOCROSS CHAMP'S BIKE STOLEN

Motocross Racing Team - British Champion's bike stolen, Newick

Over night on Monday 17th April

The van was parked on a private driveway and inside were four motocross Yamaha bikes valued at 10,000 each. The van had high visibility markings with sponsor names including Pioneer and Yamaha.

The bikes had been raced on the bank holiday at a meeting in Frome, Somerset.

One is used by Brad Anderson who is the British Champion in the four-stroke category, another by an ex British champion, Glen Phillips.

Three of the bikes are Yamaha YZF 450cc four strokes with yellow petrol tanks and Pioneer printed on them. The other bike was a blue Yamaha YZ 125cc with yellow markings and again with Pioneer stickers.

All were purchased from Yamaha and then stripped and modified to the high specifications needed for motocross racing, making them all unique to the team.

Team manager and mechanic, Michael Forster, said: "The bikes could not have been started as the noise would have easily woken myself and the neighbours up. The 125cc bike had a few mechanical parts missing and would not work at the time of the theft, also, one of the 450cc bikes had its rear brake removed at the race meeting during the day."

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the Newick area on the night of the 17th April, or is offered the bikes for sale, or knows of their whereabouts to contact them.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC Mark Ford, Newhaven CID on 0845 60 70 999 quoting serial 293 of 18th April, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.