SCHOOLCHILDREN are being offered a chance to name key parts of south Essex’s Olympic mountain bike track.

Essex County Council is inviting schools to come up with suggested names for four main features of the track, in Hadleigh Castle Country Park.

They are being asked to come up with names for a tunnel in the middle of the course, a steep, rocky drop, a slow steep climb and a dauntingly large drop on the north eastern part of the course.

The winning names will be used for official events in the run-up to the London Games including a pre-Games test event on July 31.

The winners will be treated to exclusive site tours of the course and the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London and goodie bags.

The competition is open to all Essex schools who are members of the Get Set Network, London 2012’s official schools programme.

Stephen Castle, the county councillor responsible for the Games, said: “This is a hugely exciting and unique opportunity for our children to feel and be part of the London 2012 Games – and yet another reason for schools to register to be part of the Get Set Network.

“The process is easy – simply download and put on your thinking caps.”

Details and competition rules, are available, along with a special curriculum pack and a new video about the Hadleigh Farm course from www.essexlegacy.org A panel of judges from Essex County Council, Castle Point Council, the mountain biking world and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games will pick the four winners.