RISING West Fife motorsport star Ronan Pearson has described enjoying trophy glory at his home circuit over the weekend as "a real bucket list moment".

The 21-year-old is competing in his debut Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season and was one of two Fifers on the grid at Knockhill Racing Circuit last weekend.

Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 Motorsport driver Ronan, who is from Kelty, and Kirkcaldy's Rory Butcher, who spent more than a decade instructing at Scotland's national motorsport centre, were able call on plenty of support from the huge crowd, along with fellow Scots Dexter Patterson and Aiden Moffat.

A dramatic weekend concluded with Ronan, drawn on the reverse grid pole position, lead the final race, which was delayed due to torrential rain before starting behind the safety car, for a considerable period.

Although he was eventually overhauled by Ash Sutton and Josh Cook, he was running in third place going into the final lap, and primed to gain his first-ever podium finish in the series.

However, team-mate Tom Ingram, who is second in the championship standings, worked his way through the field into fourth place, and Ronan played the team game to allow him to pass and gain more crucial points.

A fourth-place finish, nonetheless, represented Ronan's best of the season, which came after he had placed fifth in race one - at that stage, his highest placing of the year - and seventh in race two.

In addition, it also allowed him to still take his place on the rostrum as the winner of the weekend's Jack Sears Cup.

Bearing the name of the series' first-ever champion, the Jack Sears Trophy is open to all drivers who, at the start of the season, hadn't recorded an overall podium finish, or the Jack Sears Trophy, previously.

At each weekend, the top eligible driver receives a cup, and Pearson - who is fifth in the overall Jack Sears Trophy standings, and 21st in the overall drivers' championship - said: "It’s a fantastic feeling to come away from my home meeting having led a BTCC race for the first time and having scored my first Jack Sears Trophy win.

"After qualifying, I felt a bit disappointed, but race day was just brilliant. We made the call to switch tyres at the right time in race one and it allowed us to get up into the top ten for the first time, and then in race two, I drove with my head and seventh place was another solid result.

"Being drawn on pole, and going to the grid being cheered on by my family, friends and sponsors, was an epic feeling and to be on the podium as the Jack Sears winner is a real bucket list moment in front of my home fans.

"I feel I’ve really shown what I can do this weekend, and now have something to kick on from in the final rounds."