16-year-old rookie racer Michael Gibbins from Whyteleafe, recently became the youngest ever winner in the Sports 2000 series.

Michael has been racing karts since the age of eight years old, winning a club Honda Cadet championship three years running and finishing in the top three in the Minimax and Junior Rotax club championship series. Michael moved up to car racing in 2013 as soon as he could hold a full MSA race licence.

Driving a Lola T590, he is the youngest driver to ever compete in the Sports 2000 series.

Brands Hatch was Michael's fourth race of the season, following car failure at Silverstone and Oulton Park, and a second in class finish at Donington Park.

Although Michael had driven at Brands Hatch before, he had not driven the Grand Prix track or driven the car in the rain.

Michael qualified 1st in class and 2nd overall, finishing the race 1st overall and 1st in class, with a winning margin of one and a half minutes. Michael attends Caterham School and is sponsored by local firms Croudace Homes and Berrington's Jewellers of Caterham.

Following his success Michael said: "I have enjoyed my first season in Sports 2000 even with the technical problems encountered in the early races.

I was nervous at the Brands Hatch race as I had never driven the GP track before and I had never driven the car in the rain.

There was added pressure as I had a number of supporters attending including Croudace Homes, one of my sponsors.

"The track and race were amazing and I could not have wished for a better outcome".