THE title of Australian junior sedans champion sits well with teenage Hamilton driver Brock Atkins.
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"It's something I've always wanted to win. It's the most prestigious race in junior sedans all over Australia. I'm stoked to win it," he said.
Brock wrote himself into the history books by clinching the coveted title in his Datsun Sunny at Mildura's Timmis Speedway on Sunday night.
The 16-year-old beat South Australian Jack Gartner by a car length, with Queenslander Matty Smith third in a field of 84 of Australia's best young drivers.
The win came at the end of a rain-affected weekend in which all 32 heats and three mains went ahead on Sunday night, following heavy rain on Saturday.
Brock won three of his four heats and placed second in the other after starting from the rear. The tally earned him position two for the 25-lap final.
He trailed Matty for the opening five laps, split by a stoppage, before hitting the front for the first time.
But the chasing pack remained in touch and a stoppage on lap 12 brought the field together again and made for a frantic finale.
Matty took the lead on lap 17 and Jack edged ahead on lap 18 before Brock regained the advantage and held on to prevail.
Brock, who also won the Tasmanian title and is yet to lose a feature race this season, said the national crown came as a welcome surprise.
"I went up there hoping to make the final and see what happens from there," he said.
He put the win down to experience. The teenager has one year left in junior sedans but has raced since he was 11.
"It's more or less experience. I'm almost the top age, although there are a lot of 17 year olds, going on 18," he said.
"We race most weekends throughout the race season, so it's a lot of experience. All the work dad puts into the car helps."
Brock is the son of former drivers Greg and Kelly Atkins, while grandparents Ann and Don Golding are heavily involved with Hamilton's Western Speedway.
The apprentice boilermaker has dreams of one day racing a sprintcar but is likely to enter the modified production sedans ranks in coming seasons.
His next assignment is the Victorian title at Western Speedway on Saturday night, but victories at his home track have proved elusive.
"It's not my favourite track. I just never go well, I always struggle. It's just the pressure of it being the home track," he said.
"Honestly, I've won the Victorian title (before) and if it was to come again, it'd be awesome. But it wouldn't faze me if it didn't."