The overall victory literally slipped from Greg’s grasp as continuous and torrential rain brought a premature and muddy end to the day. With conditions worsening by the minute the second race was stopped after just two laps, when Hanson was down in fifteenth position following a first lap incident with reigning Veteran’s champion Dave Thorpe.

The weekend was a story of two contrasting days, with Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions taking place in near perfect weather, before constant and heavy rain wrecked Sunday’s schedule.

CCM’s return to the World championship was a mixed affair, with the team experiencing both the highs and lows of racing at this level.

Oliver Sandiford-Smith’s debut amongst the World’s best MX riders was short lived, with the teenager suffering a freak accident that resulted in him dislocating his shoulder during the first free practice session.

Up until the point of the crash Oliver had looked both strong and confident around the technical circuit, with several consistent laps that may have given him at least a chance of qualifying.

However his hopes of World glory were soon lost when he found a false neutral on the approach to the start / finish jump. The resulting injury, which was rectified under general antiseptic at the circuit, will see Oliver out of action for a minimum of four weeks.

Hanson used his vast experience during his qualifying session to record the fourth fastest time without ever needing to push himself, or take any unnecessary risks ahead of Sunday’s two main races.

Greg took the initial lead in race one before being passed by Peter Iven on lap two. This proved to be only a temporary set back, as Hanson took the lead back the very next lap before establishing a nineteen second gap come the flag.

Race two proved to be both a non-event and nonsense, but this only slightly dented Hanson’s hopes of becoming the first ever rider to win a World title for CCM. Greg trails the current championship leader by a mere five points ahead of the second round of the series that will be staged as part of the British MXGP to be held at Mallory Park on 1st June.

Speaking about the weekend’s event, Team Principle Gary Harthern stated.

“We have tasted both extremes of racing this weekend. Oliver’s injury is a real blow and has left the team deflated, especially as he was looking so comfortable. Then at the other end of the scale, it is hard to describe just how good it felt to see Greg cross the line. The weather spoilt what just could have been an even better result for Greg. All we can say is roll on Mallory, with some fit riders hopefully.”

Results: 2008 FIM Veteran Motocross World Cup – Round 1 Spain

Moto One: 1: Hanson 2: Iven 3: Eastwood 4: Blancquaert 5: Dijkstra

Moto Two: 1: Van Dijk 2: Thorpe 3: Ducis 4: Godfroid 5: Jacobs….15: Hanson

Overall: 1: Van Dijk 36 2: Eastwood 35 3: Godfroid 33 4: Iven 32 5: Hanson 31