ON THE list of things you would consider least likely to see in Barry, a team of Siberian huskies pulling a tricycle around Porthkerry Park has to be somewhere near the top.

If you do encounter this in the park, it's most likely to be Stacey Pike and her Kinguyakkii racing team preparing for the biggest events in the UK dog racing calender, the Aviemore rally in Cairngorms, Scotland.

Stacey, her seven huskies - and one German shepherd - have been frequenting rallies during this last season and are now preparing to take on the big challenge in January.

Stacy, 25 from Cadoxton, explained how this unusual pursuit began three years ago when she and her fiance adopted a Siberian Husky.

Two huskies later, the pair began attending events to learn more about the breed and were pretty soon putting together their own sled racing team.

The racing came to a sudden halt earlier this year though when Stacey was blinded in one eye following a car accident. Far from letting it get in the way of her racing however, she used it as the impetus to get her and the huskies ready for the Scottish rally.

"It was a bit of a push," she said. "It was a 'life's too short' sort of thing.

"It pretty much takes up all of my time now. I come out every morning, teaching them commands, training them, building up stamina.

"The dogs love it, it's just so much fun. We just started out doing it for fun really, but this is our first big season and I'm loving it already."

The prospect of taking on the world renowned Aviemore challenge, is a different prospect to the rallies the Kinguyakkii - an Iniut word for the Northern lights - have been running so far.

"For this one, I just want to get through the course," Stacey said of the three day challenge. "I'm excited but I'm nervous as well.

"You just don't want to come off or anything. You can get up to about 15mph speed, which doesn't sound much, but you've only got the tiniest brakes to stop you."

Stacy and the Kinguyakkii team are looking for available land, suitable for training and also for anyone willing to sponsor the team. Anyone who can help can contact spike_030@hotmail.com