GOUDHURST Motocross supremo Tommy Searle competed in the first round of the West Coast Lites Class of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross on Saturday, an FIM World Championship, held at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim, in California – home to the Angels' baseball team.

The big boys on the 450 machines compete throughout the four-month season across the US, but the smaller 250 Class divides into the West and East Coast Series and, as Searle is a Californian resident, he chose to stay close to home for his first season in this highly competitive and punishing sport.

Constructed inside arenas usually reserved for baseball and the like, only the top 20 riders on the night compete in a single 15-lap point-scoring race at night under floodlights.

After only eight minutes of free practice, followed by two 15-minute qualifying sessions, the top 40 riders compete in two six-lap heat races.

The top nine from each race progress and the remaining 22 have a four-lap last chance qualifier race for the final two spots in the main event.

After months of winter training, Searle finally got to see how he measured up to guys brought up to run in this series.

"I was a little nervous before the first run, but it was good," he said. "The track looked easy, but there were a couple of technical things on the track that messed up the rhythm sections, which made everyone think a bit. I was happy, as I learnt the track pretty fast, which was one of the things I wanted to do as I haven't had experience of any tracks, except for the practice ones. I was flying pretty well and qualified seventh for the heat race."

Having passed his first test in surviving the cull, Searle headed into his heat race looking good.

"I had fifth gate pick in the heat race, but I got a bad start and lost a few places," Searle said.

"I came through a couple of guys and made it back to fifth for the finish.

"I was happy, as it was my first proper Supercross race and just to get to the main event was my goal."

The man that looked good from the off was Jake Weimer on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, and after a flying start, and the holeshot, he made good use of a first-turn tangle to gap the field and never really looked troubled for the rest of the race.

Meanwhile, Searle, himself caught up in that tangle, buckled down to put in a solid race to finish well inside the top 10 on his debut race in a discipline that many Motocross riders just can't get to grips with.

Searle summed up the night: "I got a good start, but then I got caught in a bunch of chaos in the first turn. I ended up back in eighth and a bunch of guys had already gotten away.

"A couple of guys crashed, and a couple passed me, but once settled, I pretty much ran the whole race in seventh.

The guys in front were putting in faster laps, but there's a bunch of stuff I know I need to work on, but I'm not worried as I'm sure it will come.

"It's more a case of me learning and getting some experience. I finished my first race and in the top 10 and I'm pretty happy with that, so it was a good day."

The second round will be held at the Chase Field Stadium, at Phoenix, Arizona, on January 16.