Ballinamallard’s Josh Elliott has been crowned British Superstock 1000cc Champion after a dramatic finish to the penultimate round of the series at Silverstone. The Fermanagh rider took advantage of a late collision involving main challenger Alastair Seeley to take a deserved championship win, but despite topping the standings from early in the season he admitted it was hard to take in.

“It was just shock. I just couldn’t believe it,” he said as he reflected on his success. “It was definitely a humbling moment for me.” Josh had started the race on pole position and seventeen points clear of Seeley in the Championship, but Hudson Kennaugh made the better start, and Josh was pushed back to fourth by the start of the final lap, with title rival Seeley heading the field and looking set for maximum points.

“I was thinking that this is going to the last round and I am going to have to accept it and try to get the best result today,” he said. “I moved up to third and as we got close to the last couple of corners I could see Hudson lining up a pass and I knew he was going to make a move on Alastair. My plan was just to stay close and take the opportunity and try to get past him. Hudson made the move and Alastair didn’t want to give him the position and they collided into the second last turn and that made Alastair run wide, and I took advantage and moved up the inside and crossed the line in second just behind Hudson. I could almost see that happening because I knew Hudson was hungry for the win.” Despite securing second spot, it was not until Josh returned to the pit lane that he realised he was a British Champion. “At that stage I didn’t know I had won the championship,” he admitted. “It took me the whole way round to where there was a big tower with the names and positions on it. Then I saw Alastair was back in sixth and I was trying to work out in my head the points difference. I couldn’t work it out and I got in to Parc Ferme and that is when they told me I was champion. It was unbelievable.” Going into the penultimate round Josh had not finished outside the top two all season apart from one non finish in the middle of the campaign when a rash passing manoeuvre on Seeley ended in a gravel trap, but his championship winning ride was to prove to be his toughest challenge of the year.

“I was definitely the most nervous I have been all year, but I was still quite confident in what I could do and what the bike was able to do,” he said. “I was more nervous about what other riders were capable of doing and how that would influence the championship. I didn’t want to get caught up in any battles, and that made it one of the toughest races. I started on pole but Hudson got me into turn one and I knew straight away that it was going to be tough. I was a lot faster on the corners but Hudson’s bike was so fast on the straights that I knew it was going to be a very tough day at the office. I have learnt this season to be patient. I learnt a lot from that incident at Brands Hatch earlier in the season.

“I knew I couldn’t get caught up in any silly battles and I had to remain focused and patient. The BMs are unbelievably quick down the straights but I was running into the back of them at the corners and then they pulled away again down the straights. There were moments I almost crashed because I was running through the corners so fast, and that made it one of scariest and most nervous races. I think if I had got into the lead I could have set a lot faster pace and I think they were scared of that and were riding pretty hard to stop that happening.” The BMWs could not stop Josh’s charge to the title however in a season that has exceeded even Josh’s expectations. “I knew I was going to be competitive but I didn’t expect to be as consistent and almost as dominant,” he said. “My worst finish apart from the non-finish was second, and to be first and second all year and to lead the championship just about all season was something I didn’t expect. I was quietly confident about the potential we had, but I was up against such a great team in Tyco BMW and such an experienced riser in Alastair Seeley. The team and the support all clicked and everything fell into place. Obviously I am a lot more experienced this year and I was using every experience as a learning lesson. Every race I was learning from and taking that into the next race, and I feel a lot more mature by the end of the season.” The suddenness of the victory even took Josh’s own team by surprise, with the celebration party now scheduled for after the final race of the season at Brands Hatch. “The whole team got together after the race, but we have one more race to go and there is a big party planned for after that,” he said. “Because it was so unexpected we hadn’t planned on winning the championship. Obviously my Dad was there and my other sister works in Cambridge and she popped down on Sunday to watch, so she was delighted to see me win the championship. The whole family is coming over for Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time so we will really celebrate there.” The championship win is far from the end of the road for Josh. The 20 year old has big plans for the future, and he hopes his title success is just the latest step towards an even bigger stage. “We are looking to move into the Superbike class which is the top level British Championship, but it is obviously very hard as the top teams require a lot of backing from sponsors,” he said. “To win the championship is something that will help moving into next season for the negotiations with teams and sponsors. There is a lot of depth of talent available and the amount of rides are pretty slim. There are other options to stay in the British Superstock or move into the European Superstock class which is something I would consider as well, so its going to be a tough couple of weeks trying to get it all sorted out and deciding how to progress.”