Scotland's Ross Wylie won the British GT4 championship yesterday when he came fifth in the last round of the competition at Donington Park.
The 22-year-old from Thornhill, near Dumfries, only needed to finish in the top eight to secure the coveted prize in his debut season and duly achieved his goal although not without a few anxious moments.
Wylie and his co-driver Jake Giddings recorded a string of impressive results throughout the summer in their Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage car and the duo achieved three victories en route to their goal, including success at Brands Hatch in the penultimate round. There was no need for them to risk an anti-climactic crash or collision during the finale, but, as Wylie revealed later, sometimes caution can leave drivers vulnerable.
"By the end of my stint, we were in second place and we were pretty comfortable," said Wylie. "But we had a bit of a scare in the last part of the race, when there was contact between our car and another and we had to come into the pits.
"When that happened, I thought it was all over and we had lost our chance, but we managed to get back out and didn't suffer any more problems. However, it just showed how quickly fortunes and emotions can change in this sport.
"It has been a very special afternoon and, over the piece, it has been a terrific effort from all the people in the organisation. We're like a big family, but we're also very professional and determined to keep pushing forward."
Wylie has longer-term ambitions to compete in endurance events, including Le Mans.
On the strength of his exploits this year, he has certainly enhanced his career prospects.
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