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THIS WEEKEND / Mushing Omega British Championships Thetford Forest

The third round of the Omega British Husky Racing Championships moves this weekend to Suffolk, where Thetford Forest offers trails ideal for racing, with largely flat terrain, although the odd slope might prove troublesome. Technique will be a premium at this site, as the sandier ground will create harder work for the huskies because of the softness. Some 100 teams and 500 dogs will contest the round, which comprises classes for two, four and six-dog teams of hard-working, cheerful Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes. The larger rigs, and hence faster teams, provide the best spectating, though heats in these classes will be run first. Mike Bradbury, of Hereford and Worcester, and Simon Luxmoore, from Monmouth, jointly lead the six-dog class, the top category in Britain, John Carter, from Cambridgeshire, and Natalie Bowman, of Surrey, hold the honours in the next class, the four-dog team, while Cathy Croman, from Farnborough, Hampshire, provides the early form in the two-dog group, having won the rounds at Chepstow and Tentsmuir, in Fife. Dog-owners are asked to leave their pets at home as they can distract the teams.

How to get there: The race site in Thetford Forest is signposted Omega Grand Prix two miles south of Brandon, Suffolk, on the left of the B1106 Bury St Edmunds road before it reaches the A11. Six-dog team heats start at 8.30am tomorrow and Sunday. The last two-dog rig sets out at 3pm and 2.30pm.