THREE of our region's top classic scrambles riders will compete in the Classic Motocross des Nations in Sweden on Saturday

THREE of our region's top classic scrambles riders will compete in the Classic Motocross des Nations in Sweden on Saturday

Scrambles veteran Jim Aim, 69, from Sible Hedingham, and 64-year-old Pat Aldridge, from Halesworth, will make-up half of England's four-man over-60s team whilst Sudbury Motorcycle Club chairman Dave Roper will form a quarter of England's over-50s team.

The annual event will see ten European countries enter three four-man teams for each of the age categories - over-40s, over-50s and over-60s.

And this year will see England fight to retain the title in each class after they were crowned champions in all three classes at last year's event.

The 2006 event saw Aim come away with two seventh places whilst Aldridge finished with a pair of eighth places.

The remaining two over-60s members dominated the front of the pack with Terry Challinor taking two wins and Vic Vaughan coming away with two second-places.

Challinor will again be joining Aim and Aldridge whilst Tony Sullivan will replace Vaughan after he injured his back in September of last year.

“Each year the competition gets a little bit for difficult,” said Aldridge, “and it will get more difficult over the next few years as there are some very good riders who are about to turn 60 and will create us older guys a bit of trouble.”

Roper was another rider who was flying in last year's event and finished fourth and fifth in the over-50s races.

Sudbury-based Roper broke his left thumb recently but has since had an operation to help pin the bone together and recently gave the ok to race after taking part in the Pre-65 Motocross Club's classic scramble at Maylandsea in Essex over the Bank Holiday weekend.