Former British champion Dave Heal has turned his back on road racing for the time being.

Heathfield-based Heal, who was British Superbikes privateer champion two years ago, has been unable to secure a deal for the current season and has now turned his attentions to Supermoto racing.

The growing sport combines tarmac and off-road racing and it huge in Europe, with crowds of up to 150,000 for the major events in France.

It is just taking off in Britain and Heal, 36, wants to be part of the growth.

Heal said: "It is a bit like rallycross but on two wheels. It is exciting and brilliant to watch. It has come over from Europe and is really taking off.

"It is very exciting when you are travelling sideways at 100mph with your feet up. It is scary but good.

"You race on a hybrid bike. It is a scrambling bike but with different wheels, suspension and brakes."

Heal finished seventh out of 125 entries at a warm-up event at Lough and he starts the ten-round British Championship at Cadwell Park this weekend.

SUSSEX racing driver Mark Sumpter contested the biggest race of his life when he led a team of four drivers in the famous Daytona 24-hour sportscar race in Florida.

Despite a series of mechanical dramas with their Paragon/John Guest-backed Porsche 911GT3R, Sumpter and his team achieved their ambition of finishing the round-the-clock race and proved that they are now ready to compete regularly in international events.

The annual 24-hour race at the Florida track is rated as the second biggest sportscar race in the world, only headed by the Le Mans 24-hour race in France.

Each year, more than 80 cars contest the race with over 300 of the best racing drivers in the world in teams of three or four drivers per car. Racing at speeds of up to 180mph for 24 hours is a massive challenge for both the cars and the drivers.

This year's entry again included Hollywood legend Paul Newman, who is an accomplished racing driver as well as a film star.

Although this was the team's first crack at a 24-hour race, they quickly proved capable of running in contention for class success.

Only a couple of component failures stopped them challenging for a place on the podium. Sadly, a total of nearly three hours were lost during the night while repairs to the transmission were made and that cost them a probable fourth in class.

Motorsport is back in the Argus. We will bring you all the latest news on the fortunes of Sussex competitors throughout the season. If you have any news contact Howard Griggs on 01273 544597 or e-mail him at the address above.