Hampshire motor racing hopeful Ed Redfern is still smarting after a freak accident at Brands Hatch cost him the Zip Formula Championship,

The 24-year-old Fleet driver was leading teenager Tim Bridgman going to the final round and looking good for going on and winning the title after putting his RAC Insure-backed car on pole position.

Then it all went horribly wrong during the formation lap when Redfern spun his car and had to start from the back of the grid.

Even a terrific drive through the field only got him up as fifth position with 17-year-old Bridgman taking the all-important win, and with it the momentum to go on and win the 12th and last round.

Redfern's anxiety to get up with the leaders in the second of the races caused another spin and although he fought his way up to seventh, Bridgman's second win of the day gave him the championship, 15 points ahead of Redfern.

The ZIP Formula Championship is a brainchild of former European SuperKart champion Martin Hines and features 1600cc Ford-engined cars with the Zip MHI chassis.

It's Redfern's second year in the series and his second high finish.

But at one time, the former Formula Palmer Audi Championship campaigner looked as though he was going to stroll it to the title.

After taking second places in the first two rounds at Mallory Park and Castle Combe, Redfern really got his act together at Snetterton, where he qualified on pole and then led the race from start to finish.

He followed up with another solid victory performance at Oulton Park, where the race was red-flagged after seven laps.

When Redfern won again at Brands Hatch he had a handsome 38-point gap on the rest of the field but Bridgman began to reel him back in when the series returned to Snetterton and won the double-header with Redfern managing second and third places.

Redfern and Bridgman locked horns in the next round at Brands Hatch and crashed out in the first of two races there. When Redfern left the circuit, he had failed to score and it set the scene for a tense finale at the Kent circuit, which all went wrong for the Hampshire driver.