TEENAGER Samuel Hawthorne is celebrating after claiming his first senior victory at the fourth attempt.

The 15-year-old from Harwell took the chequered flag at Whilton Mill, near Northampton.

He had qualified on the front row for the final after coming through the heats, but dropped to third at the start.

The King Alfred’s Academy pupil responded with fastest laps to take the lead, going on to open up a small lead which he preserved to the finish.

He said: “I dropped back at the start but knew I had the speed to get into the lead.

“At the end I knew second and third were close but I kept focused and got the win.

“It was a tough decision to move up early to senior but is really paying off.”

Hawthorne, who races for Argenti Motorsport, aims to follow in the footsteps of his hero Lewis Hamilton and get all the way to Formula One.

Like the world champion, he is also running black graphics on his kart with the #blacklivesmatter included to raise awareness of the campaign.