YARNBROOK racer Bradley Hobday made an instant impact on his circuit racing debut after guiding his Yuasa Jedi car to third place after the final round of the BRSCC Formula Jedi Championship at Silverstone.

Hobday, who is backed by the battery manufacturer, scored a race win along with six podium finishes this season to finish ahead of several more experienced drivers.

The 28-year-old rookie made the transition to single seater, wheel-to-wheel circuit racing in the 1000cc Jedi car in March, having dominated sprint racing in recent years.

But he has taken the transition to the competitive 14-round Jedi Championship, a proving ground for many top motorsport stars over the years, in his stride.

The championship visited the top circuits in the country, including Brands Hatch and Donnington Park and going into the final round at Silverstone in fourth place, there was a chance Hobday could take the championship win.

A third place in race one set up a dramatic finale in which the Wiltshire man’s front suspension was seriously damaged.

Despite this, he battled on to take fifth position and secure a well-deserved third in the championship standings.

Hobday said: “It has been absolutely amazing having Yuasa behind me all year.

“Lots of people always stop and comment on how great the car looks, it is always the first Jedi they go to. I even had my own Yuasa fan club all weekend at Silverstone.

“It’s been a tough season learning all the circuits, car set-up and race craft as well as dealing with engine blow ups whilst trying to compete with experienced racers.

“But after all that I secured a fantastic third place in the championship. I am absolutely over the moon to finish third in my very first season of circuit racing.

James Douglas, marketing executive at Yuasa Battery Sales (UK) Ltd, added: “We’ve backed Bradley for a number of years and know how good a driver he is.

“At the start of the year we were confident that he would fight hard despite this being his first year in circuit racing.

“Not only has he proved us right, but he has exceeded our expectations.’’