DARREN Barton was ecstatic today after clinching the 125cc British SuperCup at Donington Park.

The 22-year-old from Hoddlesden settled for a safe fifth place which was enough to win him the title for a second time from nearest rival Fernando Mendes, who retired immediately afterwards.

"It's a real thrill to have won this championship again and a tribute to the entire team who worked so hard to make this happen," said Barton, who was champion in 1994 before moving into Grand Prix racing.

"I knew if I didn't do anything silly yesterday the title would be mine.

"I could have matched the pace of the guys in front but I didn't want to mix it with them.

"We set the bike up a bit richer than normal to ensure reliability and I just wanted to keep out of trouble.

"Thankfully, I managed that!" In total, Barton took four wins during the season - at Snetterton, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Brands Hatch.

He won the title by 12 points from Mendes, who scored consistently all year.

Yesterday's race winner at Donington, Chris Burns, finished the championship in third spot.

Barton's RCD Motorsport team only launched in January this year and was also competing in the National 125 Championship with Les Wood, who finished second in the championship despite winning at Donington on Saturday.

RCD Motorsport also took points on their Grand Prix debut at Donington in August.

The season's highlight was Barton's win at Oulton Park in July. He was on the front of the grid but slipped right down to 31st going into the first corner after a clutch problem but battled his way back up through the field to win a dramatic race.

Team manager Mark Hodgson said: "Darren was written off by a lot of people after his problems in Grands Prix last year but he's proved he is a world class rider by coming back to take this championship.

"The fact that the title went right down to the wire shows just how strong the competition was out there. I'm delighted for the lad and grateful to all the people who helped us achieve so much in our first season."

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