Bingley Grammar School A-Level student Sam Bilham was finally victorious in the last round of the British Junior Rally Championship last Saturday.

Leading the Lincolnshire-based event from the first stage, Sam and co-driver Gareth Hooper, who have been close to their first win all season, put in a faultless performance throughout the day.

But the battle was hard-fought and the margin at the end over Gus Greensmith was only three seconds. The privateers were fourth in the overall championship.

It has been a busy month for Sam, who took up his place at the Motor Sport Academy earlier this month, followed by a trip to Cologne in Germany, where he was one of the five nominees for the UK Young Driver of the Year award at the World Motorsport Expo Awards.

That honour went to George Lepley but Sam, who has yet to pass his driving test, was happy to be considered for the award.

Hoping to further his motor sport career, he has applied to the Next Big Step programme, which, if successful, will assist him in moving into forest rallying next year in the British Trial & Rally Drivers' Association (BTRDA) rounds.