Chandler's Ford carpet fitter Chris Derrick confirmed himself among the best kart racers in Britain when he powered to third place in the UK Finals at Fullbeck in Lincolnshire.

Derrick, pictured, rounded off only his second full season at national level by making the podium in the popular Formula Blue class at the NKRA Finals at Fulbeck in Lincolnshire.

To get there he had to beat some of the country's leading karters. The NKRA Championships are split into five northern and southern qualifying rounds with the top 25 drivers from each then being invited to take part in the national final.

Things looked promising for Derrick's racing prospects when he was two seconds faster than any other driver in the morning warm-up, with a damp track making conditions difficult.

In the first of the heats he made a clean start and took the lead on the first lap but, by lap eight, he had problems and was caught by Formula Blue World Series leader Anth Cleal.

And in what was an almost identical incident to last year they collided with Cleal coming off the track but Derrick managed to hang on to his damaged kart to finish third. Heats two and three saw the Chandler's Ford driver come storming through the field in difficult driving conditions to finish high up with two fifth positions and he had done well enough in the qualifying heats to start the final on the front row of the grid, along side reigning NKRA champ Worcester's Andy Beever.

Then the weather intervened and with the national final about to start, the rain stopped.

Derrick and his dad, who doubles as his mechanic, quickly changed to intermediate tyres a ploy which was to pay off as he took the lead again on lap one.

Beever on the wrong tyres was overtaken by the chasing pack and all Derrick had to do now was finish in front of the Worcester driver to take the national title.

But on the seventh lap Derrick and Birmingham's Duncan McLeod were knocked off the track by Beever's teammate and the Hampshire man had to drive a stunning last few laps to come back up through the field to take third.

And with only one point between the first three places, it was the closest of ends to the Championship.

Two other Hampshire drivers were well to the fore with Dave Wilton and Ian Turner taking 12th and 13th places respectively.

Former Matchams champion Derrick is sponsored by Peter Green Furnishings, Grassroots Motorsport, Argonaut Powder Coating and Foxcraft Engineering.