WILLERBY racer Abbie Eaton won the Mazda Mx5 SuperCup by a single point on a dramatic final day of racing at Donington Park.
Due to budget restraints, Eaton qualified for the first race in second, knowing Tom Roche was in hot pursuit of her to claim the title.
Roche needed to win both races to scupper Eaton's dreams, but he finished second both times.
Eaton's races were ended early and she thought her hopes of being crowned British champion were over.
However, her tears of disappointment turned to cheers of joy when she found out she had finished top of the pile by a single point.
"I had to ask four or five times just to make sure the points had been added up properly," Eaton told the Mail.
"When I knew it was real, the celebrations began. What a feeling it was after accepting I had lost the championship.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster. I ran to my team screaming I'd won by a single point which was followed by a flood of tears, hugs and cheers."
Eaton had to overcome all sorts of obstacles to achieve her dream, but it was worth it.
"I started the first race in fourth but on the first lap I had to retire due to engine problems," said Eaton, who is nominated for the Mail's Sporting Champions Sportsperson of the Year.
"We had no spare engine so we had to buy a written off Mazda from a local salvage yard and use that, not knowing what condition it was in but it was the only option we had.
"I started race two from the back but overtook 10 cars on the first lap and made it to near the front runners when I was hit by Clint Bardwell and my race was over. At that point, it was the worst feeling I had ever felt as I accepted defeat and headed for the pits.
"I was certain I had lost everything thanks to somebody outside of the championship fight having a personal issue or an error in judgement braking into the corner, but it was worth it in the end."
Eaton admits it was the perfect end to a tough year with issues with her car set-up lasting throughout the season.
"Slowly we found a set-up we were happy with and the results started to come," Eaton said.
"There were personal issues with other drivers on the track as I was hit several times.
"Keeping my cool and not retaliating was hard. Equally, I had some positive meetings to take away from this year like Anglesey with pole position, three wins and three fastest laps and a new lap record.
"That is fairly unheard of but it was exactly what we needed going towards the end of the season.
"I would like to thank my mum (Denise) and dad (Paul) for their support from day one, my mechanic Chris Phelps and my uncle Matt Anderson and Marc Waller as well as my sponsors for sticking by me through thick and thin."
