Kelvin Tatum was robbed of the world long-track title in the last race of the season.

The Horsham motor-cycle ace was leading in the final of the Southern Hemisphere Grand Prix in New Zealand when his bike packed up 800m from the finish.

A distraught Tatum, who was awarded the MBE for his services to speedway, could only watch in dismay as Germany's Gerd Riss raced past him and went on to pip him for the title.

Tatum's wife Debbie said: "Kelvin rang me after the meeting. He is absolutely devastated. He has worked so hard to win the world title and been in so much pain this year, and then it was all gone in a split second."

Tatum, who flies back to England this week to undergo an operation for a hip replacement, does not know whether he will ever ride again.

Explained Debbie: "Kelvin delayed the operation so that he could go to New Zealand. He really wanted to finish on a high."

Tatum, who went into the meeting at the Pukekura Park track in New Plymouth with a ten-point lead in the championship, had only to finish fourth in the six-man final to be certain of becoming world champion for the fourth time, even if Riss, his main rival, came first.

He was in front and heading for victory when a carburettor problem caused the bike to stop, and the other five riders overtook him.

It meant Riss picked up 25 points to Tatum's 13, giving him a total of 103 points in the series, while Tatum finished the season with 101.

Tatum's quest for the world crown began back in May with victory in the qualifying round at Parchim in Germany.

He lost vital points, as it turned out, in the first Grand Prix at Bielefeld in Germany where he again suffered a machine failure in the final won by Riss, but then came a hat-trick of wins in France, twice, and Germany.

Added Debbie: "Kelvin said that Jason Crump, who has just won the world speedway title after three or four years of finishing second, was fantastic afterwards.

"He helped console Kelvin because he knows what it's like to have it snatched away like that."

Bernd Diener, of Germany, was third overall in the world championship with 71 points, 30 behind Tatum, Enrico Janoschka, another German, fourth on 65 points and Pijper next with 63.

Tatum, who lives at Coolham, has ridden for Eastbourne Eagles and is one of England's most capped speedway riders, captaining them to victory in the World Team Cup in the Eighties.

During the same period, he was also twice British champion and finished third in the world championship in Poland.

But in recent years he has found fame in long-track and grass-track racing, becoming world champion three times and winning British and European titles.