TEENAGE race ace Lennon Docherty has missed out on winning the HEL Performance British Junior Supersport Championship but said finishing third with "a knee that's broken in two places" was "incredible".
The talented 16-year-old, from Lochore, concluded his debut season in the motorcycling competition - a support class of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship - at Donington Park over the weekend of September 29 to October 1.
Lennon, a pupil at St Columba's High School in Dunfermline, remained in the lead at the top of the standings, courtesy of the number of race wins he had accumulated compared to his closest rival, Finn Smart-Weeden, with both riders level on 222 points.
That was despite the teenager missing both races in the previous weekend of action, at Oulton Park, after he flipped off his bike during qualifying and suffered a knee injury.
Initial fears of a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) were eased by an MRI scan and, after doubts he could miss the final race weekend, Lennon was passed fit by Donington Park's track doctor to compete.
READ MORE: Lennon faces fitness race for championship finale
In qualifying, he finished in 10th place - although, had it not been for a minor crash, he would have placed further up the order in fifth - and he went on to place fifth in race one, one spot behind his title rival.
However, a "massive crash" in race two, which he said "would have been really close to 100mph" in wet conditions, saw him fail to finish in race two, and his title hopes faded away.
Smart-Weeden took the title, finishing on 276 points, with Lennon finishing third on 244, behind second-placed Symcirrus Motorsport team-mate, Lewis Jones.
"I'm still very happy with third place. Considering everything we've been through the past three weeks (since being injured at Oulton Park), where I was not even supposed to make the round, to finish third in the British championship, and to do so with a knee that's broken in two places, is incredible," he told Times Sport.
"Unfortunately, I had a massive crash in race two which would've been really close to 100mph. Luckily, I managed to walk away, but woke up the following morning a little sore.
"At the time, I was disappointed with my end result but, as I've sort of taken a step back, I've realised that my goal in Spanish testing at the start of the year was to finish top 15 in the championship, or something ridiculous like that!
"We're now at the end of the season and I have picked up four wins, one second place, two third places and had two weekends where I won both races - all as a rookie!
"I couldn't have done any of this without my amazing team, Steve Holbrough, Rebecca Holbrough, my mum, dad and all my amazing sponsors."
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