TEENAGE speed demon Kristian Brierley is celebrating the achievement of winning his first national kart racing title.

The 16-year-old, from Askam, came out on top in the 2015 Maxxis TKM Festival junior elite race final – consisting of around 35 young drivers – in a time of 16:00.26.

His triumph at Kimbolton, in Banbury, was captured by the television cameras with the race being broadcast on Motors TV.

Brierley, who has been competing at national level for two years, said: “I was elated to win because of the sheer scale of the event – it’s a national event, everyone knows about it and it’s just a very large event to win.

“It was my biggest career win, the event includes all the top drivers in TKM (an engine supplier).”

To qualify for the elite final Brierley came through a time-trial qualifier, three heats and a pre-final race.

And after securing third place on the grid he crossed the line in first place, beating Susanne Gutzold (16:00.42) and Ross Deal (16:03.08) into second and third respectively.

As well as taking home the winner’s trophy he was handed £100 in Argus vouchers, £100 of Tal-Ko race engine vouchers, a set of race tyres, worth £150, and champagne.

Commenting on the final, Brierley – who motored up to speeds of around 60 miles per hour in his Tonykart Viper – added: “I had to negotiate a bit of traffic. I think I led for about 17 out of the 22 laps. The lead was exchanged a few times, but I just kept going at it.”

And Brierley has loved watching his triumphant performance on Motors TV (Sky channel 447).

He added: “It was great to relive it all and to look at all of the nitty-gritty details that I couldn’t see in the race – seeing what my competitors were up to.”

Brierley recently left Dowdales School and is embarking on a BAE apprenticeship at Furness College.

But he will continue his karting career and currently sits seventh in the Super One Series British Championships. With two rounds to go the teenager is targeting a top-five finish.

Brierley and his family would like to thank those local businesses that sponsored the youngster in the run up to the S1 Championships, with special thanks to PPS Pipework, in Ulverston, CJS Car Sales, in Askam, and Mike Marsh Plant, in Dalton.

They would also like to pass on their gratitude to BAE for giving Brierley time off to compete.