A 16-year-old daredevil yesterday impressed judges at the BMX race track to become one of just three who have a chance of winning a place at a Masters of Dirt approved training school.

Leon Zammit was one of 10 riders taking part in the competition held at the track in Pembroke.

The Maltese riders, aged between 12 and 16 years, were judged on the difficulty of the jump, posture of the rider, control of their bike in the air and landing.

The judges were Masters of Dirt Motorcross rider Gerhard Mayr from Austria, and two Maltese riders, Dave Camilleri from Australia and Julian Delia, who between them have a combined experience of almost 45 years.

Two other riders, Clayton Camilleri, 21, who rides motocross and 33-year-old William Sant who rides a quad bike, were chosen on Saturday in a competition at the Malta off-road circuit in Ta' Qali.

The three riders will participate in the television programme Liquorish on Wednesday and the public can vote for whom they think is the best rider and should deserve the training at the Masters of Dirt approved school. Edrich Bonello the director of Standing Ovations, the company that brought the Masters of Dirt to Malta, explained that it was his goal to one day include a Maltese rider in the already vast array of riders from different countries that already take part.

The company represents the riders who crisscross the globe wowing audiences and have so far been to all four continents showing off their riding skills to packed arenas. The three-and-a-half hour show will be held next Friday, Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with Malta's first bike fair where visitors can buy bikes, spare parts and mingle with the riders before the show begins.