Aston Hill sees a two-for-one race offer this weekend, with the Southern Area XC Championships taking place and competitors also earning points for the Southen XC series. Ian Warby and the Firecrest MTB team have added some singletrack to the short but tricky Aston Hill course. It’s a popular venue that had a year off in 2003. There’ll be racing for all categories and entry will be available on the day. More details at www.southernxc.com or www.firecrestmtb.com.

In other Southern XC news, Round 6 has been moved from Farley Mount Country Park to Surrey Hill, as used in the Gorrick Spring Series. “Venue problems” are cited as the cause for the move. The date remains the same – 5 September.