You've got to hand it to him - Nuneaton karting star Ash Hand certainly left his mark on the track last year as he chased his dream of following Lewis Hamilton all the way on to the Formula One grid.

In his debut national campaign, Ash bypassed the traditional cadet entry route to dive straight in at the deep end in the more powerful Mini Max class. Racing in BRDC Stars of Tomorrow - the same series that launched Hamilton on the fast track to where he is now - it was a challenge with which he coped admirably, as he wound up a superb ninth in the country out of more than 50 competitors.

The young Nuneaton ace is a regular front-runner in BRDC Stars of Tomorrow - the same series that first set none other than newly-crowned Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to super-stardom - and since ending his maiden national campaign a brilliant ninth in the country in Mini Max, has stepped up to the more powerful Junior Max class over the winter in preparation for an all-out assault on glory in 2009.

Six tenths of a second faster than any other driver in the 24-kart field in dry practice on the Friday - and eight tenths up on club champion Josh Parker, and a full second clear of ex team-mate Matt Parry - was an excellent start. And then came the rain...