MOTORSPORT: Newcomer Les Tyler held his nerve to win the A class in a vital final Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup round at Brands Hatch.

The 45-year-old lorry driver from Kidderminster took three wins and three second places over eight races at top tracks across England in his first season of competition.

Tyler was third overall in the championship and voted best novice in his standard Metro after a tremendous final display at Brands Hatch when he broke the lap record for the vehicle.

He said: "I was leading my class all year but then went into Brands Hatch level on points after two no-finishes.

"Whoever finished first in the final round won but my car broke down in qualifying.

"I qualified at the back of the grid but managed to pull all the way through to win in the end.

"It had always been my ambition to race on the big circuits."

Tyler, backed by town firm Complete Car Spares, achieved his feat with a car that has won the championship in the past with a previous owner.

He now plans to move up to B class with another Metro, while his daughter Dorinda Wignall, 24, may also join the competition.