BURNHAM BMX UCI world champion Liam Phillips hopes to build on the success of the past 12 months when he competes at the BMX Supercross World Cup in Manchester this weekend.

Phillips, 25, will be trying to show why he’s in the rainbow stripes ahead of double Olympic champion Maris Strombergs.

Phillips won the world championships in Auckland last July, but he says the world champion tag hasn’t really changed him.

He said: “The only thing it has changed is that I’m wearing the rainbow jersey – as a kid that was what I wanted more than anything.

“It’s just a case of trying to get better and better in the areas required, and hopefully I can go well in Manchester.”

The Manchester event starts tomorrow night (Friday) and continues on Saturday.

The new-look Friday night will combine the tension of the world’s top riders racing solo against the clock in the Time Trials Superfinals as the rest of the field give everything they’ve got to make it through to Saturday night’s finals.