SOUTHAMPTON racing driver Matt Speakman missed out on the national Rover Gti Championship on the last lap of the last race of the season at Donington Park.

Going into the final round of the BRSCC Super Coupe Cup series, Speakman needed to finish at least second in class and ahead of his main rival Martin Young to win the championship.

Young went past him at Redgate Corner going into the last lap, held the advantage to the chequered flag and relegated the young Hampshire driver to second place in the series.

Speakman might have suspected it wasn't going to be his meeting when he spun on a damp patch into a gravel track during qualifying and was left watching his competitors get ever quicker as the track dried out.

It left him last on the grid but incredibly it didn't deter the youngster, who has twice been a winner in this his first full season in the Super Coupe series.

When the lights went green, almost everyone was slow to get away and Speakman capitalised, making up places at a rapid rate.

Then misfortune struck again as he was tapped into a spin which left him going along the start/finish straight sideways, with the rest of the field taking avoiding action.

It left him last again and with even more work to do. Incredibly he still managed to catch Young and after two laps in his slipstream, made a move that was to stick for the next six laps.

But aggressive driving had taken its toll on the tyres and they began to deteriorate. Young was able to catch Speakman and at the start of the last lap lined him up going into Redgate corner.

With the two drivers side-by-side, Speakman left his braking very late and overshot the corner, allowing Young to pass and take the chequered flag ahead of him.

Speakman said: "I thought it was all over after qualifying, then after getting back into it, I was left sliding along the pit straight. I knew I would have to drive hard to catch Martin Young and ruined the tyres doing so."