MOTOR SPORT: ROOKIE biker Ross Millar had always wanted to be a racer, but it took a nasty collision with a herd of cows to finally get him on track!

It seems an unlikely motivation, but a clatter into cattle did the trick. Ross, 27, from Crewe, had been content with riding his motorbike on the roads until three years ago.

But when he thundered into the trundling cows on a road near Beeston, he realised something had to change.

Now the rookie is showing immense potential as he heads towards earning a clubman licence.

Roofer Ross, a former Brine Leas School pupil, said: 'I had ridden a bike for a long time, and a few brushes with the law and near misses had made me think twice about it.

'But it was only when I hit a herd of cows that I realised I had to stop. I snapped my arm in two and it needed metal plates to fix it. I did not get back on a bike for a while.

'But it is a lot safer on the track. I started racing last year, doing four meetings. It is better than I had imagined. I have always wanted to race since I was a little lad and it is awesome.'

Ross, who now lives at Salt-ney, Chester, but still stores his bike in Crewe, has done eight of the 10 races needed for the clubman licence and is keen to shed his rookie vest.

But the beginner status has not stopped him from earning top-10 finishes in almost every race this season.

He is concentrating on the Wirral 100 Championships at Anglesey, as well as meetings at Mallory Park and Oulton Park.

At his last meeting at Angle-sey, he won both races he entered, leaving rivals on faster 1000cc bikes in his wake. He said: 'It's nice to beat people in higher classes but my bike, a ZX6RR 600cc Kawasaki, is very good. It's been tuned really well and that helps.'

Ross, a former Chatwins baker, competes under the team name Millar Racing and is helped by his wife Andrea and mechanic Steve Dobson.

The steep financial burden motorsport imposes means that Ross will only race when he can afford it this season. But if he gets the backing of a sponsor, he will aim for silverware in the next campaign. He is next in action at Anglesey on July 31.

* Ross Millar is looking for sponsorship to help him in his climb up the motorsport ladder. If you can help, contact the Chronicle sportsdesk at Chester on 01244 606410.