Maidstone’s Daniel King achieved a lifelong ambition when he was crowned British speedway champion.

The 29-year-old powered to victory in treacherous wet conditions at the National Stadium in Manchester, gaining a wildcard for the British Grand Prix in the process.

He said: “It means a lot. It’s something you dream of as a kid and for it to come true is fantastic.

“I’ve put everything into this. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, sometimes it does and sometimes you think something like this may never happen but we’ve worked hard, stuck at it and we’ve finally achieved it.

“The bonus of becoming British champion is that I get to go to Cardiff and ride in the GP. That’s another dream I have and I can’t wait.”

King, who attended Shepway Infant and Junior Schools and Senacre Technology College as a youngster, took up grasstrack racing aged six before moving into speedway.

He joined his first team aged 15 and moved away from the town to pursue a career in the sport.

King said: “My first team was Peterborough. We won the league the first full year I had with them and that’s when I met my partner. It made sense for me to move up at the time and with speedway being such a widespread sport, it was a lot easier to travel.

“I race in other countries as well so it’s a pretty busy schedule from March to October.”