Just two years after taking up racing – after being a lifetime fan of the high octane, all action sport – David is making a name for himself with three final wins under his belt in the Ministox series.

His latest victory – at Buxton's Hi-Edge Raceway – earned him the Howard Hunt Trophy and £1,000 of racing tuition from Hunt himself who is a professional racing instructor.

David, who spent most of his life living in Cornholme, did dabble with junior racing around 20 years ago but instead concentrated of a successful amateur football career with Tod United, Lydgate United and Tod Borough.

During that time he has been a keen fan of stock car racing which had a huge following in Yorkshire and Lancashire which peaked in the early 1990s.

"To be honest my fitness wasn't really up to continuing with football and I was looking at switching to another sport," David said.

"I'd been a stock car fan since 1980 and the Ministox formula is based on the big Formula 1 cars but is more affordable.

"We honestly thought it would be a case of finding a decent car and just racing it - but it has turned out to be a bit more expensive than that."

Good quality racing tyres can cost up to £70 each and engine and bodywork repairs and maintenance mean that it is a sport for the committed.

Having originally bought a basic car to lear the art of racing, David then invested in a car which had taken its previous owner to the Ministox championship two years earlier only for it to be stolen, along with its trailer.

With the insurance money David bought his current car - which also had a winning pedigree in the formula.

"It's going well and I have three trophy wins – including the Rose of Lancaster Trophy in Carnforth – and I am having a lot of fun," he said.

"To be honest some of the drivers have 15 years' experience so to be in the mix with them is great. The Buxton win was great as the prize is for a day's tuition with Howard Hunt and that can only push me onto the next level."