WORCESTERSHIRE driver Tina Hawkes set a new women's record at Loton Park Hill Climb in Shropshire while competing in rounds of the British Hill Climb Championship.

Driving her Force PC lightweight single-seater racing car powered by a 1600cc Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine she set a blistering time of 48.58 seconds.

It was just one-hundredth of a second quicker than the 48.59 set in 2014 by Sue Young, of Hereford, in her Gould GR racing car.

Having been taking part in motorsport for more than a decade Hawkes first competed in a TVR sports car then a small OMS before moving on to the highly-competitive ex-Eynon Price Force PC.

Hawkes, of Broughton Hackett near Worcester, is supported at events across the country by mechanic husband Nick and sons Max and Archie.

With her arms covered in bruises she said: “I do get rather battered around in the cockpit as I am driving very hard indeed but these few bruises are well worth the effort to set this fantastic new record.

"I couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support of my family pit crew."