TEN laps of Brands Hatch in an astonishing one minute and 22 seconds is no mean feat - but it still only earned a Blackpool man third place.

The car Michael Dunning used is not full scale, though.

He performed his amazing drive with something a little smaller - about four inches long to be exact.

Michael, of Ravenglass Close, Marton, was a runner-up in the 1997 Renault Scalextric Championship, finishing just 11 seconds behind the eventual winner.

The final of the competition took place at the national motor museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire on November 15 as the culmination of regional heats held at Renault showrooms nationwide.

The race took place on a massive 16ft by 8ft four-lane Brands Hatch circuit in an adrenalin-fuelled final.

Michael, was fully prepared for the event after racing model cars for a number of years.

He started with slot cars, much like Scalextric only a lot faster.

His effort earned him a bottle of champagne, a Scalextric set and Renault cap and jacket.

He said: "My friend's mum bought a car from the Renault garage in Blackpool and we got an invitation to enter the event.

"I won and got the all-expenses paid trip to the final and stayed at a five-star hotel. It was brilliant."

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.