A FARMER has moved a step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a racing driver after he took top honours in an international competition.

Robert Lawson, 27, from Barton, near Richmond, started racing in karts and was seeded ninth in the country in his first season.

He is now moving on to racing cars and entered this year's Bearacingdriver.com scholarship, a competition for up-and-coming racing car drivers held at Croft Circuit earlier this month.

He came third out of 350 entries and was told by organiser Tim Sugden, a former British Touring Car driver, who was twice British GT Champion, that he has the talent to make a career for himself as a racing driver.

Mr Lawson recorded the fastest lap of the day, but was judged to be the third best all-round driver by a panel.

The winner received a fully-funded season in the British Racing Drivers' Club Single Seater Championship, a three-year management contract with Mr Sugden and the choice of a BMW or a Mini Cooper road car for a year.

Mr Lawson said: "To have taken top honours and followed in the footsteps of Touring Car racers Rob Huff, Tom Ferrier and Alan Morrison would have been amazing.

"I now have to take the positives from what I have achieved, take a different direction and keep things moving forward."