Kings Langley bike racer Matt Fitzgerald enjoyed a stunning debut when he took home a trophy for second in class at Snetterton.

Racing in the Bemsee Thunderbike Extreme Novice Championship, AA patrolman Fitzgerald soon got to grips with his self-built machine and put in two strong performances on the Saturday to take home the spoils.

However, Sunday did not go so well when the Carspek/Direct Door Solutions backed Kawasaki 750 decided to spit him off as he exited one of the faster corners in race one.

Speaking in the pits afterwards, Fitzgerald was quick to take the blame. He said: “I got on the throttle too quickly and with the bike cranked over like it was, there was simply more power than grip so that was that.”

Thankfully, damage to the bike was negligible and Fitzgerald returned to the grid for race four. However, a leaking radiator meant a non-finish, although the mood amongst the team was decidedly upbeat.

“It was our first ever race meeting so it was always going to be a steep learning curve but to be on the pace from the outset was amazing,” said Fitzgerald. “However, our plan was always to learn as much as we could and to have fun and we certainly did that.”