The Hicost build was completed in February. It first turned a wheel on a cold and windy Saturday morning at the historic Goodwood Circuit. It was a very successful if slightly daunting test with cars such as Imprezas, Chevrons and Porsches whizzing round with me.

The second ever outing for the car was the 750mc pre-race test day at Mallory Park. This proved an eye opener, showing it would be a tough and competitive championship but that I was starting from a good platform.This test day put me in good stead for my first ever car race meeting a week later at the same circuit.

The car felt strong in qualifying and what I didn’t realise at the time was that my fastest lap was good enough to put me in the top few and straight through to the final bypassing the heat.

The first race proved to be a tremendous success with the opportunity to learn about being overtaken and overtaking and I came home with a very credible 2 points.

Spectacular on-track action led to limited track time at the Brands Hatch and Pembrey rounds.

Cadwell was a memorable weekend on a fantastic circuit, I enjoyed the challenges that the circuit offered but the lack of a suitable final drive ratio meant I was at a major set-up disadvantage. I battled through the heat and gained a place in the final, where I put in a strong performance until a mishap at the notorious ‘Gooseneck’ section damaged the chassis and ended my race.

A great performance from my crew with tremendous support from the Locost paddock saw the car repaired overnight ready for the next days’ heat and final.

Despite the challenging combination of a wet race, an oil covered circuit and a battered driver we finished an inspired 4th place in the heat and went on to secure another 2 points in the final.

At sunny Silverstone my race craft took a giant leap forward and I enjoyed a mature drive having some close but thrilling racing with Gary Parkes and collected some more points.

My final race of the season was at the long and fast Snetterton Circuit. The first heat was successful and I qualified comfortably for the final. This was going very well until my race was prematurely ended on the final lap. Sundays heat was an entertaining and close race which again improved my race craft which put me in a great position for the last race of the season; the final. Unfortunately an electrical failure in the final brought my season to an early end.

I had a highly eventful first season which was a fantastic learning experience; overall it was a great success. This was the realisation of a dream!