TADLEY racing driver Alex Ball completed a superb first season in the Lotus Elsie Trophy winning the championship.

The 33-year-old having spend just two years racing a production BMW, switched to a Lotus Elise which was bought literally days to spare before the first round.

The championship opener at Snetterton did not start well with a non finish, but after this the Tadley racer started to pick up points with a podium at the next meeting at Donington as he came third.

This was followed by a brace of second places at Brands Hatch Indy circuit and then the championships headed to Spa and Ball collected his first victory.

A return to Brands Hatch and this time racing on the GP circuit saw another victory and podiums at Silverstone followed, before the season finale back at Snetterton.

The weekend started well as Ball secured pole and he led the first race until the final lap when a clutch issue saw him have to settle for third place, but it was enough to win the championship.

They had to swap the gearbox, before the final race, which forced them to start in the pit lane, but the Tadley driver showed his class, as he carved his way through the field to finish fourth.

After his success Ball said: "Winning the championship is amazing. To go racing at all is an absolute dream, and something I've wanted to do since I was a child.

"I'd given up on the idea of even doing it until Nicky, my amazing wife, said we should give it a go. The Elise and I just clicked the minute we went on track for the first time, and the whole year has felt like a dream."

The Tadley racer added: "I really feel like I've accomplished something special. It's made even sweeter because Nicky and I ran the car ourselves, and were able to match and beat drivers with race teams running the cars for them."

Looking back on the season, Ball said: "The high spot of the season was the Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch. It was boiling hot, we had a great crowd of spectators, including my family and friends, and I got my first on-track win, after a race long battle with two other cars."

Looking ahead to next season, the 33-year-old may well try and defend his title, or try the faster SuperSport class, though the budget requirements make this unlikely.

Ball can offer hospitality/tickets/package in return for sponsorship for next season and anyone interested can be contact him at alex@applecado.co.uk