Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing)
As team captain of the all-conquering Hope Factory Racing, Paul Oldham has been there, done that on the national domestic scene. Oldham led the team to their third consecutive Rapha Super Cross victory last month – winning all three men’s elite races – and also remains unbeaten so far in the National Trophy series having won all three races so far. His domination has been such, he opted to implement a one-minute handicap on himself in the recent Wakefield round of the Yorkshire Points competition and still went on to win his fourth straight round – 50 seconds clear of second-placed rising star Nick Barnes.
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And the Yorkshireman, who was crowned national champion in 2011 and unsurprisingly currently tops the British rankings, believes the races at domestic level are becoming more popular – a trend reflected all the way down to junior level.
He told RCUK: “It has definitely increased in the last couple of years; you see a lot more people at local league events, for example.
“My son races at under-eight level, and you see on race days there are around 30-40 there – it’s crazy how many are competing at that age.
“With events like the Raphas, I certainly don’t think it’s hurting. It’s raising the profile, and is as much about having a good day out as racing. It’s very family-orientated, you’ve got the beer tents and it’s just a good day out with some racing as well.
“It’s similar to what they do in Belgium really – it’s just an excuse for a day out there.”