YOUNG rally driver Tommi Meadows ended his 2014 season on a high by claiming a top five finish on last weekend’s Hall Trophy Rally.

The 14 year-old from West Bradford suffered a mechanical retirement in his previous rally, but recovered for an impressive finish in his Nissan Micra.

“It was a great way to round off the season, finishing fifth was my second-best result of the year,” said Tommi.

The Bowland High School pupil, who was partnered by Ian Oakey, began the day in sixth place but was fortunate to avoid a head-on collision on the second stage.

Fellow competitor Tom Delaney left the road in his Suzuki Alto, crashing through a series of cones and tyres before entering part of the stage that Meadows was competing on.

“It was a bit of a close shave! Luckily everyone managed to react fast enough to avoid trouble,” added Tommi.

The next few stages went without such issues for the crew, and they moved up to fifth overall in the junior rally.

The expected rain held off for the day, after there had been torrential rain at the venue the previous evening, which was bad timing for Tommi.

“My favourite conditions are when the surface is greasy and slippery after heavy rainfall, but the rain had stopped,” he said.

“I see this as a sort of power balancer between my Micra and some of the higher powered Citroen C1s that I am up against.”

The final few stages of the event were run in complete darkness, which was an added challenge for the junior drivers.

“I really enjoyed the dark stages - The first time I drove in the dark was at Anglesey a few weeks ago, and there was torrential rain,” Tommi continued.

The teenager will return for his second year in the Junior 1000 Rally Championship in 2015, aiming to be a contender after a promising debut season.

He said: “There are so many people that I need to thank - James Alpe Ltd, Proflex Shock Absorbers, Fuchs Oils, Chorley Group, Cybox Exhausts and A-Frame Engineering, not forgetting my parents, who are always so supportive and helpful. Without all these people, I would not be able to compete, and I appreciate everyone’s help.

“This has been my first full year in rallying, and it’s been a steep learning curve. But we’ve had some good results and I feel that I’ve ended the year a much better driver than when I started out.

“I have to say a special thank you to Ian Oakey, my co-driver, who has been great. He used to navigate for my dad Martin 15 years ago, and his experience and steadying hand have been invaluable.”