CHAMPION biker Daryl Bolter is looking forward to elite international competition after scooping the Expert Enduro Championship in only his first year in the class.

The 18-year-old Durrington racer sped away with all but one round of the championship, to win immediate promotion to the Pro/championship class where he will meet full-time professionals on the world Enduro circuit.

Only a handful of UK riders make the pro/championship grade, which opens the door to lucrative international sponsorship deals.

The Team Husqvarna UK rider has already had a taste of overseas competition as a member of the British under-23 squad which finished a respectable 13th in the Italian round of the European Enduro series.

The hair-raising course through the Udine mountain region gave Bolter experience which he was able to put to good use to land the Expert title.

He said: "I thought Welsh events were tough but in Italy, one moment we were riding on fast mountain roads at around 80mph and the next we were on narrow goat tracks at walking pace with huge drops either side.

"All this was in 35-degree heat, which helped me to cope with similar temperatures here."

Last year the former motocross rider, who has been racing since the age of five, won the Enduro Clubman Championship, also in his first year at that level.

So comprehensive was his latest victory, that Bolter secured the win with one round to go.

He has been invited to participate in the final race of the season - the Natterjack Enduro held on the Bordon army ranges near Winchester - as a pro.

Sponsor Alan Ranger, who has followed Bolter's career since his motocross days, said that the Natterjack on September 20-21 would be his first opportunity to test his skills against a different class of rider.

He said: "His fitness level is unreal and he is in a sport where he wouldn't normally be expected to reach his peak until the age of 25, so he has the potential to go even further."

Bolter himself will go to Winchester in confident mood. He said: "I love this event. The sandy terrain suits me very well and it is a good spectator event, so I usually get plenty of local support."