DAVE Brook saved the best until last in an eventful and often painful Thundersport GB season.

After what he described as a nightmare year, the 30-year-old Bradford motor cyclist won his first Elite GP1 class race in the final meeting at Cadwell Park.

Team Arkoni rider Brook, who missed three of the rounds due to injury following a crash, won race two at the Lincolnshire venue and said: "This is like the cherry on top.

"I finished sixth in the first race at Cadwell, after going faster every lap, and the start of race two didn't exactly go swimmingly after getting duffed up into turn one and I ended up seventh.

"But over the course of the race, I built my speed and eventually went through the entire field to win the race.

"I was so pleased. I don't think I appeared ecstatic or anything, even though others might have been for me.

"It’s just that deep-down sense of satisfaction, a job well done sort of thing. That feeling is what keeps you going through the bad times.

“Race three was a non-start unfortunately – rain just as we were about to leave Parc ferme (the enclosed area) and no spare bike ruled us out of the race but it wasn't the end of the world.

"I’ll go into winter feeling good and can't wait to get going next year with some new equipment.”

It was Brook's fifth win overall, with the other four being in the 600 Pre-National class in 2013, and he said: "I finished eighth overall, but if I had made the top six in the races at the three meetings that I missed I would have finished top three overall.

"And of those six rounds, I threw away two lots of 25 points crashing out of the lead at Anglesey, but it's all ifs, buts and maybes, and I can only blame myself for what happened."

Debutant Liam Dale, whose family home was next door to Brook until three years ago when the former moved to Wibsey, finished third in the Thundersport Pre-National 600cc freshman class.

Brands Hatch was the 23-year-old's first-ever meeting, after a mere two track days, and he picked up two seconds and a third. He set the fastest race lap in round two in the wet at Donington Park, where he was second in class and fifth overall among the sportsmans' competitors.

A member of the Barrett Steel Racing team, Liam will move up to the Sportsman category permanently next season.