BLACKBURN teenager Simon Robinson has been crowned the inaugural ANWCC Junior Production Car Autotest cham-pionship winner for 2011.

The 15-year-old St Wilfrids Academy pupil won his class at the Accrington Motorsport Club Autosolo event at the weekend to cap a fine first year.

Robinson, driving his Peugeot 106Gti 1600cc car, has dominated throughout the 11-meeting series to win the title of the Association of North Western Car Clubs overall championship.

Accrington Motorsport club team-mate Daniel Barker, 17, also from Blackburn, also performed well over the weekend to confirm his second place in the overall championship and the class A title.

Autotesting involves a series of tests to measure precision driving skills, and the events often include stopping and starting with the front and rear wheels straddling a line, with sections of each test usually completed in reverse.

Steve Johnson, Go Motorsport Regional Development Officer, hailed Robinson’s achievement and praised the contribution the championship has made to youngsters in motorsport.

He said: “We have seen Simon increase in both his skills and confidence over the last 18 months and his driving is now in excess of people aged 18 or 19.

“His skill levels and competency and car control are so much greater than probably 80 per cent of motorists on the road.

“He is used to driving a car and he has come across all issues he might experience. You don’t want people racing around the streets and having crashes.

“What we are doing in the North West is the only area of the country that is doing this work. Because motorsport is trying to evolve.

“People think it costs a lot of money but it cost £20 to enter on Saturday.”

Thirty drivers from across the north west took part in the week-end’s autotest event, competing across four different championships.

Robert Kennedy, of F1000 club, was the overall winner at the production car autotest event, while Hazel Johnson, of CSMA, AMSC and u17MC, again perfor-med well in her Nissan Micra by coming second in class..

Mark Andrews, of BLMCC, won the Clubmans event in his Ford Ka 1300cc, while Knutsford DMC’s Richard Duddell, in a Mini Cooper S, won the national B event.

William Jarman, of Wigton motorclub, won the autosolo national B event driving a Peugeot 205ti 1900cc.