Tom Brennan became British Under-21 Champion with a flawless performance at Redcar on Friday.
The Belle Vue and Eastbourne youngster raced to a 15-point maximum in the qualifying heats, defeating the other unbeaten rider Drew Kemp when they met in Heat 19.
Brennan and Kemp were joined by Dan Gilkes and Jordan Palin in the Final, both having scored ten points in the qualifiers but then who then got the better of Jordan Jenkins and Dan Thompson – who had both finished on eleven – in the semi-final.
Brennan made the start in the Final and survived a nervous moment when he lifted on turn two but still managed to cover the challenge of Gilkes from the outside.
He then pulled clear to secure the title whilst a terrific scrap for second place saw Kemp edge out Gilkes on the run to the line.
Brennan said: “I’m absolutely delighted, it’s a dream come true for me and I’ve had some great people to help
me get here – it isn’t just myself.
“They’ve definitely stuck with me because we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, so for us this is such a good feeling.
“We’ve just picked up some form, and I think that showed tonight. We’ve been putting in the hard work over the last couple of years, and it’s paid off so I’m more than happy.
“It was touch and go for what gate in the Final, between one and two because you can control the corner from there. We were set on gate two and I was just determined to get over one because I knew Drew would go off one.
“I knew I needed to make the drop on him and I did, and it’s always good when a plan plays out! It doesn’t always work out your way, but tonight it has.”
Picture: Colin Poole