MOTORCYCLE trials rider Ryan Laughton is a national champion at the age of nine.

Ryan, who lives in Herne Bay and attends Herne Bay Junior School, won the D Class title in the ACU British Championship after beating his nearest rival by 11 points in the final round on the Isle of Wight on Sunday.

The success is the climax of a season that has seen him compete in eight rounds around the country, with the furthest trips to Yorkshire and Wales.

His Isle of Wight victory was his fifth, and he came second in the other three.

He began competitive riding in 2003 with the Kent Youth Trials Club, where he was rider of the year last year and moved to national level for the first time this year.

An unsponsored Gas Gas rider, Ryan practises twice a week and attends a trial most weekends.

* For more information about the Kent Youth Trials Club visit the website at www.kytc.co.uk.