Kart racer Calum George’s rear tyres blistered and he spun off the track three laps from the flag in the final at his first race meeting of 2014 at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire.

Starting towards the back of the grid, the 14-year-old, from Sibford Gower, near Banbury, dropped to last place as his engine faltered at the start.

But he pushed hard, and was cutting his way through the field before going off the circuit.

He had earlier finished tenth in one heat with a fastest lap time of less than half a second off the race winner, before struggling with cold tyres in another heat.