Dobb dominates at Hawkstone opener.

Reigning 125cc world champion Jamie Dobb demonstrated home rule at Hawkstone Park on the weekend, as he dominated the first major pre-season event in front of his patriotic crowd.

The KTM-mounted 250cc graduate won both Open class motos as well as the Superfinal at the International Hawkstone Park meeting, seeing off the threat of both the reigning 250 and 500cc world title holders in the process.

Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts were among a field packed with grand prix regulars who had to take a back seat to Dobb, but the Briton was aided by the absence of Ireland's Gordon Crockard, who was a late withdrawal from the event due to a wrist injury.

The first race saw the 30-year old Briton finish in front of Pichon and 500cc Honda rider James Noble, while Marnicq Bervoets took fourth on the four-stroke Rinaldi Yamaha. Pichon battled back after a first lap crash that surely dented his chances of challenging Dobb over the course of the 25-minute-plus-two-laps event duration.

Bervoets, meanwhile, finished five places ahead of team-mate and reigning 500cc champion Everts, who struggled to finish in the top ten.

The second moto started with Pichon's withdrawal because of a hand injury sustained in the first race, and this allowed Dobb to dominate from the start. Once again, Noble proved to be among his closest challengers but, having his hands full of the improving Jussi Vehvilainen, the second Briton could do nothing about the runaway leader.

Everts, the most successful motocrosser ever, could only finish a lowly eighth - one better than in moto one - due to an attack of 'arm pump'.

The Belgian restored some of his credibility in the Superfinal by taking fourth overall, but still could do little to prevent Dobb completing his personal hat-trick. The KTM rider again controlled the event, and duly headed the podium ahead of 125 rider Mark de Reuver and Stuart Flockhart.

KTM also enjoyed the individual 125cc races, with Belgium's Patrick Caps winning both motos.

Caps held off strong challenges from Kevin Strijbos and de Reuver in the first race to score his maiden win for the Millenium team, then repeated the feat to head de Reuver and Tallon Vohland in the second.