"WINNING a major championship was always my dream,” Kyle Irvine told our Cowdenbeath Racewall correspondent Jim Turner, "and when I won the British saloon championship at the Racewall in May it was certainly a dream come true for me.”

I had met up with Kyle Irvine, from Glenrothes, in between the team busy overhauling his car for the start of the 2017 season and Kyle’s University time. Said Kyle: “As a Champion I now have to start every race from the back of the grid and the extra handicap is a lot greater than I had expected.

"At Championship events I could have at least three other cars ahead of me to overtake before I latch onto the back of the red grade drivers. It doesn’t seem a lot but the championship drivers are not slow by any means and you have to take any opportunity that comes your way.

"At the Racewall I may only have one other car to pass which isn’t quite as bad. It has taken me a while to adapt but I am getting there.”

Asked about his British Championship win Kyle recalled: “Crossing the finish line in first place to win is indescribable. The last five laps were a bit of a blur!

"My legs began to turn to jelly when I saw the lap boards come out I remember roaring to myself to as I drove down the back straight with one lap to go and looked in the mirror and seeing that Luke Grief wasn’t close enough to challenge me. Then when I crossed the finish line I just couldn’t believe that I had done it.”

He remembered: “On Saturday night we were split into heats and the points we scored would determine where we would start on the grid on Sunday for the Championship.

"My qualifying turned out to be almost a perfect night’s racing. Everything seemed to go my way and the car was flying. The handling was spot on.

"Just before I went out for my last heat my dad told me just to take it easy as we had worked out that with the points I had already scored that I was going to be near the front of the grid.

"I was told to bring the car home in one piece so we could focus on Sunday. However, the way the car was going I came through the field and won. In doing so I had outscored Luke and had put my car on pole position! I felt that this was a big enough achievement for me to do from the red grade.”

He added: “Luckily the weather on Sunday was much the same as it had been on the Saturday night. We went out on the parade lap and then we pushed the car on to pole position which I thought was really cool.

"I didn’t really think about who was beside or behind me and just tried to concentrate on the task ahead of me. Unfortunately you cannot plan anything in saloon stock car – it’s a contact sport!

“I got a really good start and led so I managed to settle into a rhythm quite quickly. I have raced long enough to know that it is not all over until the chequer flag appears so I tucked my car in behind them some back markers. I began to close and the first car ahead of me was Eddie Darby and when I got the opportunity I managed to spin him out. At the next corner I managed to fire Deane Mayes, who I knew was going well and would be a danger, into the wall.

"Once I regained the lead out came the yellow flags and the field lined up behind me so I had to compose myself and let my instinct do its thing. I am not normally leading at the race suspension as I came from the red grade so this was different. I managed to get a really good start and opened up a gap which gave me some breathing space. I saw Luke’s car in my mirrors but we seemed to be evenly paced so I forgot about him and focused on keeping a consistent pace. My car developed a slight shove towards the end but as long as I drove it smooth it wasn’t too bad.

"Then the flag appeared and as I said crossing the line was brilliant. It was awesome jumping on the roof and taking the cheers from the crowd but when I saw my dad, Brian, come onto the track that was probably the most memorable part of the day. We had all worked so hard on the car and it meant so much to get something back.

“Receiving the trophy was something else and so was the victory lap. My car had been loaded on to a lorry and we were paraded around the track - that was something special!”

Kyle felt his season went pretty soundly: "The European Championship at Taunton not good though. I got caught up in a shunt in one of the heats and broke a bone in my foot. To make matters worse our van broke down as we were leaving Taunton.

“The World was at Skegness and I did not too badly bringing my car home in 11th place. I was reasonably happy with how the car ran and I’m sure I was the highest Scottish finisher.”

“The Scottish Championship and the Superbowl was pretty much the same story – just not much luck on the day but then that is stock car racing. The past couple of seasons I did well in the Scottish Championship and in 2015 ended up as the runner-up. I tried to get ahead of Stuart Shevill Jnr on the last bend but couldn’t get the drive to move him over and had to settle for the runners up spot. However, the Scottish is high on my agenda.

“My dad Brian was a very nervous spectator when I started racing and he hasn’t really got any better as the years pass. Goodness knows how he had any fingernails left after the British!

“When I retired from the minis I was lucky to get a Tully built saloon that Chris Lattka had raced. It was all set up and although I only managed one practice run with the car and ended up with two wins at my first meeting.

"Over the first three races I won eight times and was soon racing from the blue grade. That is when the stock car racing really began and I soon found out what bumpers were really for! I got no favours from any driver and had to stand up for my self. “

Looking ahead he concluded: “We are giving the car a complete revamp just now and have removed all the panelling and any steelwork that is not straight.

"We will re-panel and replace the bumpers intending to have the car looking good for the start of the season.

“I work as a labourer with William Tracy just now but am also at University where I am studying Illustration. Hopefully that will eventually get me into sign writing.

"I still have a year to go before I am finished but between stock car racing, the University and working I don’t have much free time.

“I have to thank my mechanics for all the hard work they do on the car and they are my dad Brian, my Uncle Scott and Alan Mackie.

"The one thing I must say is they leave the racing up to me and have never have told me what to do. I get sponsorship from Adamson Doors, Smart Travel Minibus Hire and Trevor Harris Paver Hire and their help is greatly appreciated”.