WEYMOUTH-based Sam Peters is “on cloud nine” after competing in the second round of the British Youth Championships.

The youngster has only been riding for a short time, and his father Martin Peters, co-promoter of the Weymouth Wildcats, said that his son has come on leaps and bounds.

He said: “He started a year ago when he got his own bike. He had a few practice goes before that but only got his own equipment around last April.

“He’s developed quite a bit. One of the lads he beat on Sunday was a lad he used to go out on track with, and he used to lap Sam, so it shows just how much better he’s got.

“He’s regained his confidence because he crashed quite early on while he was learning, but now he’s on cloud nine.

“On a weekly basis he’s training in Somerset. They’re kind enough to let him do about 10 or 15 laps before their meeting, but he’s been all over to places like Scunthorpe, Sittingbourne and Lakeside, and this year we might pop down to Plymouth because that’s the closest one to us.”

In the second round, Sam, the Wildcats’ mascot ,scored three points from his four rides on the 125/150cc bike, including finishing runner-up and coming third in his second two races, something which his father says has only spurred on his enjoyment further.

He said: “The competition is there for the kids to have fun, learn and try out different tracks. They’ve got eight rounds altogether, and they’re all over the country, and it’s somewhere for them to ride against other kids and get them ready if they want to compete in the sport.

“It was quite good considering a lot of the other lads have been riding for years, and for us living in Weymouth, we’re at a disadvantage because we have more travelling to get to a track.

“He’s on cloud nine and just wants to get better. He’s really excited and is feeling confident and just wants to get riding again. The main thing is that he goes out and improves his riding, it’s all about the progression.”