Darren Barnett has been celebrating after taking his first stockcar title after nine years of trying.The 26-year-old was in the form of his life at Mildenhall Stadium on the evening of Saturday, September 13, to take the saloon stockcars European championship title from the fifth row of the grid.

Darren Barnett has been celebrating after taking his first stockcar title after nine years of trying.

The 26-year-old was in the form of his life at Mildenhall Stadium on the evening of Saturday, September 13, to take the saloon stockcars European championship title from the fifth row of the grid.

The Dereham racer qualified second in his heat and managed to keep his nose clean to take west country wizard Shane Brown's title.

“It's the first championship I have ever won in nine years; it just went well on the night and I couldn't do anything wrong.” Said Barnett, who triumphed in a car based on an old Ford Sierra.

“I started racing when I was 10 in mini stocks, then at 16 then carried don in formula. But this is great and I'm going to keep going, and hopefully this will be the start of many more wins.”

The European championship comes at the back end of the stockcar season, which is coming to a halt. The new season will start in M, with August seeing next year's European championship in Taunton, Somerset, where Barnett will be out to defend his title.

“A wins always good in stocks, it means less repairs afterwards!” he added.