Sam Corke emerged triumphant the first time he stepped on to a race track and he has not stopped winning since.

The 23-year-old from Uckfield is being tipped for big things, even though he has only been racing for 18 months.

It has been a spectacular rise for Corke who won the BEMSEE club Rookie 600 championship in his debut season last year.

He has followed that with another series of wins this season and is currently leading both the MRO Powerbike and Supersport 600 classes with three rounds to go.

Corke, who works at Paragon Porsche in Five Ashes, was coaxed into racing by another competitor from Uckfield, Andy Denyer, and he had an introduction which would have put most people off.

He explained: "Andy invited me to a track day at Donington and I fell off in my first session. I high-sided and smashed my bike up. It cost me £1,000."

A bit of motocross as a youngster had whetted Corke's appetite.

He said: "I have only been racing a year-and-a-half. I bought a road bike in 2000 and realised it was a bit too dangerous. That's when I did the track day.

"In 2001 I won my first ever race (at Lydden Hill). I ended up winning the Rookie 600 championship and the Milano Trophy for the best rider that year.

"Bob Farnham Tuning supplied me with two bikes, a 600 and a 1,000, to do the MRO series and I am leading both of them at the moment."

The 1,000cc bike has been sold on by Farnham with the proviso that Corke should still be allowed to ride it. The new owner wants to race it himself, which has caused some conflict, but Sam still wants to progress up the racing ladder.

He said: "I have got a wild card to a British Supersport round at Donington but he is using the bike for a club race so I cannot do it.

"I want to do British Superbikes next year if I can. The Powerbike Tour gets good television coverage.

"It couldn't have gone better for me. In my first year I did a British Supersport round. An MRO round would have been an achievement, so that was great.

"I have huge belief in myself. You have to have a lot of confidence. I have always felt I would do okay.

"Every time I have gone out at tracks I have been quicker. I really feel I could be up there with the best of them."

Success in the racing world is not reliant on talent alone. You need sponsors and the right backing, and Corke is no different.

He added: "From now on, it is all about luck. I have got to get myself a ride for next year.

"I wouldn't want to do it half-heartedly. You have to have the right backing."

Corke can take a step closer to landing both MRO titles when he competes at Oulton Park this weekend.

Haywards Heath's Alex Symon enjoyed another fabulous weekend at Lydden Hill in Kent.

Symon had already won the BEMSEE club Powerbike and Clubman 1300 titles and he capped a great season by winning the Lord of Lydden event on Sunday.

He rode a superb race to take the crown from Richard Wren with Brighton's Kenny Everest in a highly commendable third place.

Everest had come off while leading towards the end of Saturday's Lord of Lydden qualifier, which meant he had to start from the back row of the grid for the main event. To come through to take third was quite an achievement.

Having already wrapped up the BEMSEE titles, Symon used the weekend's other races to practise for the Lord of Lydden.

He claimed a second and a third on Saturday in races which were both won by Everest. Symon repeated the feat of Sunday with a second and a third, beating friend and rival Denyer in both races, to increase his championship lead to 239 points.

Like Corke, Symon is competing in the MRO series at Oulton Park this weekend.