TOBY Bearne admitted that his debut season in the Maximumgroup.net VAG Trophy had been a "rollercoaster" but the race ace from Silver End was delighted to end a rookie campaign sitting third in the standings.

The final round of the championship that is considered to be a feeder for up-and-coming racers looking to compete in the British Touring Car Championship took place at Castle Combe.

Following a superb first season that had seen him miss four races due to having to have a car rebuild, Bearne, who was racing for the TeamHARD outfit, knew he needed solid finishes in the two final races to finish in the top three.

So he was delighted to achieve that and was left to reflect on a great year.

He said: "What a rollercoaster year it's been from winning races to not even starting races - I've really had it all.

"I was leading the championship halfway through the year but with some bad races meant I was pushed back to third, which I managed to hold until the end of the season, even with four non-starts.

"At Castle Combe I just had to keep my head and keep the car on the black stuff and score points.

"Probably one of the biggest thank yous goes to (TeamHARD boss) Tony Gilham for giving me this opportunity and making me a better driver on and off the track.

"Also a big thank you to RCIB insurance and Steven Hutchings for backing me in the second half of the year and I'm glad to be working with both these again in 2017.

"Zak W Holmes for keeping my car tip top, to Ben Kattenhorn for always lightening the mood and Craig Wheeldon for all those brilliant photos.

"And of course Ronnie Bearne, Gaye Bearne, Lee Bearne, Zoe Bearne, Ellis Johnson for listening to all my moaning but always standing by me no matter what, as well as Tom Turner, Matt Burt, Andrew Marshall, Josh Alford, Dan Nielsen, Brooke Bell, Jamie Terry and Jordannah Ellis."

Bearne is now looking for local businesses to join him as a partners or sponsors for his 2017 racing campaign.

Anyone interested can contact him at bearnetenpin@aol.com