Pudsey teenager Kalvin Kelly has been crowned the first-ever Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen Champion.
And at the end of a hectic and dramatic inaugural season, his ROKit Rookie squad also scored a fourth place in the series.
Going into the final race, it had already been decided that either Kelly or Brodie Gawith would emerge champion.
Australia’s Gawith started from pole, with fellow Aussie and team-mate Henry Snell second on the grid and Kelly, who had a 17-point lead, starting fourth.
Gawith hit the front at the start and what followed was a dramatic eight-lap race which was stopped two laps short of the 10 it should’ve been as rain hit.
Gawith dropped to second on Lap Two as Carl Harris hit the front, but the action ran all the way to the red flag. Snell hit the front on the fourth lap while behind, Kelly was running sixth.
Harris found his way back past Snell on the fifth lap but moments later Gawith was back in front as raindrops began to fall. Kelly found his way up to fifth as Harris hit the front once again – and as the pack rounded out the eighth lap, the race was stopped.
Harris took the win with Gawith second and Snell third – but Kelly, ever the silent assassin, had done enough. Finishing fifth was all he needed to take title.
“It’s been an amazing season, it’s been a learning curve but the support from Leon, Ron and the whole team has really helped push me along,” said Kelly.
“These last few rounds have been great fun and although it’s been close, I knew what I had to do today and it paid off. I’m champion and this is all I ever wanted. It’s probably going to take a while to sink in properly but I’m just over the moon.”
Kelly’s ROKit Rookie team-mate Brodie Gawith claimed the runner-up spot and Chloe Jones made it three ROKiT Rookies in the top five.
Team owner Leon Haslam added: “First, second and fourth in the championship with the Rookies is fantastic, the racing has been great all year, the class has been awesome and to bring on the young riders has been fantastic.
“For Brodie and Henry coming from Australia, their first year in England has been amazing and they’ve done fantastic and Kalvin getting the championship is brilliant. He’s ridden really well and he deserves it.
“This now marks our third championship win for the academy in four years so we must be doing something right.”
Chloe Jones crossed the line in eighth position to claim fourth in the championship, as Darragh O’Mahony was 11th, Floris Schipper 17th and Jay Yeldham 20th.
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